Lopez On Romero's Arrogance Before Welterweight Clash

Teofimo Lopez says his friendship with Rolly Romero fell apart after one locker room visit, and now he plans to make him pay for it in the ring.

Lopez takes on Romero for a welterweight title this Saturday, a fight he reportedly would have passed on had their personal relationship not soured. According to Bad Left Hook, Lopez told Fight Hub TV that Romero showed up in his locker room following the Shakur Stevenson bout at Madison Square Garden, and something about that visit changed Lopez's read on him. "I just seen something in him I didn't like," Lopez said. "I was like 'oh, you cocky son of a gun.'"

🎟️ Get tickets: Buy tickets to Rolly Romero vs. Teofimo Lopez on Ticketmaster →

Lopez Called Legal Team After Benavidez-Zurdo Show

Weeks later, at the Benavidez-Zurdo card, Lopez ran into Romero again and floated a joke about fighting. Romero smiled but stayed silent. Lopez left the arena and phoned his legal team. "I said 'make the fight happen, I want to fight him,'" he recalled. Lopez had been weighing a full year off after the Stevenson fight, but Romero's shift in attitude made the decision easy.

When asked whether their history would keep him from going all out if he hurt Romero, Lopez dismissed the notion. "I'd say if I was in the same situation, he would try to finish it," he said. "I've been too nice, even in our sparrings. So, it's time to really turn it up on him."

🎟️ Get tickets: Buy tickets to Rolly Romero vs. Teofimo Lopez on Ticketmaster →

The bout takes place Saturday with Lopez moving up in weight for the title opportunity.

Reported via:

• Bad Left Hook — ‘It’s time to really turn it up on him’: Teofimo Lopez won’t show mercy to Rolly Romero