Romero 'Declares' Retirement In Frustration

Rolando Romero has announced his retirement — though the declaration reads more like a man at the end of his patience than one who has genuinely closed the door on his career.

The WBA welterweight champion has not fought in twelve months, has watched a series of potential opponents fall away, and has expressed his frustrations clearly: "I'm retired. I haven't fought in a year, so I'm retired. I got ducked by nearly everybody. It's crazy," Romero said

Romero claims a fight for May 30 with Benn in New York was fully agreed before it fell apart, and he has no interest in softening his view of why: "We had the whole deal made for May 30th in New York. He got scared and ran off because he knows he'd get knocked out cold. I like Conor, but I hate it when people act like they're about something and then they don't do it."

Benn has since moved on to a confirmed September 12 fight with Ryan Garcia for the WBC title, leaving Romero without an opponent and without a timeline. Garcia, the man Romero beat by unanimous decision in May 2025 to claim the WBA Regular title, received similar criticism. "Whenever Ryan says something, you can never believe it. That dude lies more than anybody."

The upgrade to full WBA champion came following Jaron Ennis' departure from the welterweight division, a development that elevated Romero's status on paper while doing nothing to solve the practical problem of finding an opponent willing to face him.

The Future

He now holds a major belt at 147 pounds and has spent a year watching the division's biggest names — Haney, Garcia, Benn — arrange fights among themselves without him. The frustration is real. Whether the retirement is, only Romero knows. One opponent who is ready to face Rolly is Jack Catterall.

“My understanding is there's a contract in place with a timescale. He’s got to defend his title when I beat Shakhram. "If not, you vacate and then we’re on the hunt for more fights. I can't live with regrets. I'm 32 years old, I'm ready to fight anybody,” Catterall stated