Rolly Romero and Teofimo Lopez will face off in the ring on August 22, with the reigning WBA welterweight champion putting his title on the line against the former unified lightweight champion.
Rolly on how he'd describe his relationship with Teofimo
Rolly Romero has described his relationship with Teofimo Lopez as like that of a little brother, saying they spent a lot of time together in the past.
Their friendship began to take a backseat as they grew older and pursued their careers in boxing. "Life does go on," Romero said. "He has his family, he has his kids, everything, I'm focusing on my own stuff."
Teofimo on if he ever thought he'd be fighting Rolly
Teofimo Lopez, who will be looking to dethrone Romero and claim the WBA welterweight title, said he never thought he'd be facing his friend in the ring. "We spoke on it, but we're here," Lopez said. "He's the champ, and I want to thank the champ for giving me the opportunity to get in the ring with him and try to take over."
Rolly on fighting Teofimo
Romero credited Lopez with helping him financially in the past, saying he received $5k from him after beating Nakatani. "That money did so much for me," Romero said. "I can't really say anything bad, you know."
Rolly on whether it will be hard to try to hurt a friend
When asked if it would be hard to try to hurt a friend in the ring, Romero replied, "A boxing fight's a boxing fight. A sparring session's a sparring session…Whatever happens is what God's will is."
Teofimo on what he remembers from sparring Rolly
Lopez remembered sparring with Romero, saying he doesn't quit and has a strong inside game. "Don't sleep on this motherf-cker," Lopez said. "He's playing this other character right now. For sure…And now he's the super WBA world champion, he is the guy, and looking over here to do what I can on my side and just make boxing great again."
Rolly on Teofimo's performance against Shakur Stevenson
Romero criticized Lopez's performance against Shakur Stevenson, saying he shouldn't have been in the lightweight division. "Teo shouldn't have been at that weight class no more," Romero said. "He's a welterweight. That's that."
Teofimo on whether he's concerned about getting elbowed from Rolly
Lopez acknowledged that Romero's inside game is strong, saying he'll need to be aware of his opponent's elbows in the ring. "It's a fight, man," Lopez said. "I know in the past I've said certain things but I try to stick to the rules of the sport. But whatever happens that night, happens."
Teofimo's general thoughts on fighting Rolly
Lopez praised Romero for setting a good example by putting their friendship aside and making the fight happen. "You're setting a good example right now," Lopez said. "What you did right now is took the fight knowing the past over 10 years of a relationship of friendship in boxing and you're putting it on display on August 22 to show the world 'yes, we can be friends but when it comes to boxing and business you got to make the fights happen no matter what.'"
Rolly on why he didn't make the fight with Devin Haney
Romero denied claims that he ducked a fight with Devin Haney, saying they offered him a lucrative deal that he ultimately turned down. "Dude, are you really asking me that question?" Romero said. "So we sent him an offer, he said it was a lucrative offer that made sense for him and his team, stalled it out for a whole month and then literally said we ducked him and out-priced ourselves after he said we gave him a lucrative offer."
Rolly on what this fight represents
Romero sees the fight against Lopez as a legacy fight that will solidify his place in the Hall of Fame. "This is a legacy fight for both of us," Romero said. "I believe Teo is already in the Hall of Fame…It will solidify me in the Hall of Fame, for sure."
The highly anticipated fight between Rolly Romero and Teofimo Lopez is set to take place on August 22.
Source: Yahoo Sports