Rolando Romero Promises To Deliver ‘Highlight Reel’ Victory Against Manuel Jaimes
Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero insists he is not overlooking Saturday’s opponent Manuel Jaimes but has promised to deliver a “highlight reel” victory.
Romero (15-2-0 13 KO) takes on Jaimes (16-1-1 11 KO) on the undercard of the super-middleweight bout between unified world champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Edgar Berlanga at the T Mobile Arena in his hometown of Las Vegas.
Rolly is aiming to return to winning ways following a brutal stoppage defeat to Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz last time out in March when he was dominated throughout and eventually knocked out in the eighth round to lose the WBA super-lightweight title in his first defense.
It means the 28-year-old Nevada native has lost two of his last three fights having previously come up short to WBA lightweight champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, who secured a stoppage in the sixth round back in May 2022.
Despite the recent losses – which came either side of a wholly unconvincing and controversial win over veteran Ismael Barroso – Romero remains full of confidence and has vowed to put on a show on Saturday night.
“I’m happy to be back on the big stage once again,” Romero said from Studio Ballroom at MGM Grand. “This is just another fight and another opponent for me.
“Every fight is important and I’m not looking past him. It’s gonna be a great night on Saturday and I’m gonna deliver a highlight reel. Rolly is back. I’m definitely coming for the knockout. I’m not overlooking him at all, I’m just ready.”
In Jaimes, Romero faces an untested and unproven fighter who will contest his first-ever 10-round bout this weekend, but the 24-year-old Californian says he has no concerns about performing on boxing’s biggest stage and is ready to prove he belongs at this level.
“I’m really excited to be here and on this card with all these great fighters,” Jaimes said. “I had a really hard training camp and I’m coming to win on Saturday. This is the biggest moment of my career. It doesn’t get any bigger than this stage. We had a great training camp and I’m ready to get the win on Saturday.
“Rolly is a really good fighter. He’s had a world title. He’s been in there with the best. But I think he is just getting a little bit older. I’m young and hungry and I’m gonna outwork him on Saturday.
“We’ve had the best sparring in the world over at the Robert Garcia camp preparing for this fight. Rolly has lost before and he will lose again.”
While Jaimes has clearly prepared specifically to fight Romero, the former world champion has taken a different approach. “I don’t know anything about [Jaimes]. Nothing,” he said. “To me, it’s just another night.”
As for losing his world title so soon after winning it, Romero insists he is not bothered, believing his time will soon come again to claim one of the four leading belts.
“The belts, they come back. I mean, how many four-time champions are there?” Romero said. “You lose your belt, you move up, you get another belt. That’s normal. Clearly, I’m an elite-level fighter. I’m the hardest hitter in my weight class.”
