Teófimo López claimed the WBA welterweight title with a 12-round majority decision over Rolando Romero at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on August 22, 2026, securing a world championship in a third weight class despite a controversial judge’s scorecard and a late knockdown.
T-Mobile Arena Championship Bout and Scoring Controversy
Teófimo López captured his third division world championship on Saturday night, defeating Rolando “Rolly” Romero by majority decision at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Two judges scored the 12-round bout 115-113 and 116-112 for López, while judge Glenn Feldman scored it even at 114-114. That equal scorecard drew immediate condemnation from boxing observers and from Romero himself.
When I heard 114-114 I knew it was a robbery,
Romero said. I got hit with two punches the whole fight that barely grazed me. I was never in any trouble.
Independent analysts described the main event as a tepid affair given the fighters’ long-standing friendship outside the ring, but round-by-round scorecards widely agreed that López’s activity and jab dictated the pace.
Punch Statistics and Fifth-Round Turning Point
López controlled much of the action behind footwork and a steady jab, out-landing Romero 124 to 73 in total punches, according to Compubox statistics. Those figures included a career-high 62 jabs from the challenger. Yet Romero delivered the fight’s most dramatic sequence in the fifth round. Romero Romero is something of an unexpected world champion, though he’s accomplished the feat twice over in his career. Always a popular fighter based on his big personality and strong social media presence, Romero has never displayed elite boxing skills, instead relying on an offense-first style and solid power. In 2022, Romero received his first opportunity to break through to the top of the sport, but he was brutally stopped in the sixth round by Gervonta “Tank” Davis. In his next fight after losing to Davis, Romero won his first world championship, picking up a ninth-round TKO win over Ismael Barroso to capture the vacant WBA junior welterweight championship. That win was heavily tainted by the fact that Romero was getting thoroughly outclassed by Barroso, a late replacement in the fight.
Romero opened a deep gash over López’s right eye with a left hook, then connected with a looping right hand that momentarily buzzed the former lightweight champion. López weathered the attack and recovered before the bell.
He hit me with a shot that woke me up. I was just buzzed. I got right back to it. I stayed cool, calm and collected.
Teófimo López
Romero manufactured another opening in the 11th round by landing a left hook that knocked López off balance, but he struggled to sustain his offensive output across the middle frames. A final-round exchange failed to produce a decisive advantage, sending the bout to the official scorecards.
Rebounding From Setbacks and Prior Histories
The victory completes a rapid bounce-back for López, who suffered a lopsided defeat to Shakur Stevenson in January by identical 119-109 scores across all three cards. López later credited that loss with realigning his professional relationship with his father and trainer, Teófimo López Sr.
For Romero, the bout marked his first defense of the WBA belt he won 15 months prior against Ryan Garcia in New York’s Times Square. Romero had previously captured a vacant title against Ismael Barroso before losing it, setting up a career path where he frequently occupied the higher-profile challenger or champion role against marquee names.
Romero vs Lopez Main Card Official Results: Teofimo Lopez def. Rolly Romero via Majority Decision (114-114, 115-113, 116-112). Teofimo Lopez officially joined the exclusive club of three-division boxing world champions on Saturday night in Las Vegas, though his WBA title win over Rolando “Rolly” Romero didn’t come without its share of critics and controversy. Lopez (23-2, 13 KOs) appeared to soundly outbox a sleepy Romero (17-3, 13 KOs) inside the T-Mobile Arena to capture the WBA welterweight title in a fight that never really got out of first gear. The tepid nature of the bout perhaps shouldn’t have come as a surprise, considering the well-documented friendship the two fighters have shared for more than a decade, yet it was a baffling 114-114 scorecard from judge Glenn Feldman that drew just as much — if not more — condemnation as Lopez and Romero’s performances Saturday.
Undercard Results and Pay-Per-View Details
The pay-per-view event featured a full supporting card in Las Vegas. Teofimo Lopez def. Josh Peter reported that Teofimo Lopez defeated Rolly Romero by majority decison to win the WBA world welterweight title, with the judges scoring it 114-114, 115-113, 116-112.
With the victory at 147 pounds, López joins an exclusive tier of fighters with world titles across three weight classes, having previously held championship reigns at lightweight and junior welterweight. Teófimo López, campeón mundial de peso ligero y peso superligero, hará su estreno en el peso wélter este sábado 22 de agosto en Las Vegas contra Rolly Romero en búsqueda de su tercer título mundial: el cinturón de la AMB de las 147 libras. Tras empezar el 2026 con una despedida con derrota en la división superligero, al caer contra Shakur Stevenson, López empieza un nuevo camino a sus 28 años intentando coronarse como tricampeón mundial. Estoy muy agradecido por todo lo que pasó con Shakur. Me confirmó algo que ya sabía: debí haber confiado en mis instintos. Debí haber subido a la categoría de peso welter hace un año, pero aquí estamos, y no hemos perdido el ritmo
, declaró López.
