WBA welterweight champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero (17-2, 13 KOs) will defend his title against former two-division champion Teofimo Lopez (22-2, 13 KOs) on Saturday, August 22 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, promoters announced Thursday. The 12-round championship bout headlines a PBC pay-per-view available on DAZN and Prime Video.
Pre-sale tickets are available now through AXS.com with the code PBC until 10 p.m. PT Thursday. The public on-sale begins Friday, July 10 at 10 a.m. PT through AXS.com. The event is promoted by TGB Promotions in association with Takeover Promotions. The official announcement follows T-Mobile Arena’s initial confirmation of the matchup earlier this week.
“Four kings? I’m a black knight that delivers a smothered mate,” Romero said in the announcement.
“We don’t follow the game, we take over,” Lopez said. “That’s what I intend to show against a person I’ve known since 2015. Rolando is aware of his choice of accepting this fight, so without a doubt, this is a fight you do not want to miss. What greater way to take over than to fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where legends are born and history is made.”
Romero Makes First Defense at 147
Romero, 30, of Las Vegas, won the interim WBA welterweight title in May 2025 with a unanimous decision over Ryan Garcia, now the WBC welterweight champion, dropping Garcia with a left hook in the second round. He was later elevated to full champion. August 22 marks his first defense of the belt.
Romero first became a world champion in May 2023, stopping Ismael Barroso in the ninth round for the WBA super lightweight title. He lost that belt to Isaac Cruz in March 2024. Earlier in his career, Romero won an interim lightweight title in August 2020 with a unanimous decision over then unbeaten Jackson Marinez, and his two losses came against Gervonta Davis and Cruz.
Lopez Debuts at Welterweight
Lopez, 28, of Brooklyn, will fight at 147 pounds for the first time with a chance to win a world title in a third division. A 2016 Olympian for Honduras, he unified the lightweight titles with a unanimous decision over Vasiliy Lomachenko in 2020, then lost the belts by split decision to George Kambosos Jr. in a fight that saw both men touch the canvas.
At 140 pounds, Lopez won the WBO title from former undisputed champion Josh Taylor in 2023 and added wins over Arnold Barboza Jr., Sandor Martin and Jamaine Ortiz. His most recent outing was a decision loss to four-division champion Shakur Stevenson in January. Lopez now trains in Las Vegas with his father, Teofimo Lopez Sr.
