WBA welterweight champ, Rolly Romero, spent Friday giving back to the community ahead of his title defense against Teófimo López on Aug. 22

Rolando “Rolly” Romero will defend his WBA welterweight title on pay-per-view against his old pal Teófimo López on Aug. 22 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and in the meantime, he’s prepping and giving back to the community. 

Romero was at John S. Park Elementary in Las Vegas on Friday, where he once attended, and he was surprised that more kids showed up than he expected. He hung out with students, hooked them up with backpacks, signed photos and some got tickets for the fight against López. 

Still, the coolest part for those kids must have been doing the face-off with Romero, who became champion on May 2, 2025, after upsetting Ryan Garcia for the vacant strap. He will be making his first defense of the welterweight belt against López, who will be taking his initial fight at 147 pounds on Aug. 22, and is the more talented pugilist.

Yet, López’s power didn’t even go up with him to super lightweight (140 pounds), and Romero, the naturally bigger man, has developed extra skills and is the most dangerous version of himself. Romero’s record is 17-2, with knockout losses against Gervonta Davis (135 pounds) and Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz (140 pounds). Despite only two wins in the 28 months that followed the Cruz defeat, Romero has come a long way on his spiritual journey and his confidence appears to be unshakable.

Making welterweight is not as taxing as being in shape for a lightweight or super lightweight contest, so having the added fuel suits Romero. On top of that, he was sharp in his last fight against Garcia, making him go into a shell after the knockdown in round two. If he is the same guy, López will have to do something impressive, perhaps tagging and slipping off the back foot, but he’ll need to land some combos to keep the pressure off.

López (22-2) is coming off his Jan. 31 loss against Shakur Stevenson and it shouldn’t be weighed too much against him because that’s what happens when facing off with a prodigy. Nonetheless, he is desperate to prove he’s still among the elite. His ultimate career achievement was defeating Vasiliy Lomachenko almost six years ago, but then his lowest moment came in his next fight — a split decision loss against George Kambosos Jr. — while dealing with severe breathing issues, according to a doctor who checked him out. 

Since his first loss, he’s 6-1, looking sensational on some nights and then just like a good fighter on others. 

A loss for Romero or López would only put their careers in danger if one suffers catastrophic damage or if somehow, their skills have fallen off a cliff. It’s going to sting bitterly for one of them to receive another blemish on their record, but they deserve respect for taking the risk because it’s not an easy one for either of them.

Since they are friends, and have taken verbal shots at Stevenson and his close friend Keyshawn Davis, the pressure is on Romero and López to deliver an entertaining fight. Goodness willing the public gets it because $79.99 through Amazon or DAZN is a pretty penny to watch boxing at home.