Former amateur star Marco Romero will finally compete in his first pro fight in his home state of Kansas when he faces spoiler Noah Kidd on May 24 at Energy Plaza in Topeka.

The 19-year-old Romero, 6-0 (5 KOs), who is from the Kansas City suburb of Olathe, has a pro record of 6-0 (5 KOs), and has fought in a number of other locations since turning pro in June of 2024, including Maine, Florida and Colorado, but now will get a chance to show his skills in front of his local fans.

“I’m super excited, pumped up to fight only a 45-minute drive from my hometown for my fans,” Romero said. “They don’t need to drive 15 hours like they have or fly cross country. I’m really going to put on a show for my hometown fans. It’ll be nice to hear hometown fans cheering me on. Other than relatives who live in Denver, I made a few new fans in the other places I’ve fought. They’re starting to know who I am, and it’s really cool for people to come up to me saying they follow me.”

Romero was among the top boxers in the United States, having won 18 national titles, including the 2023 USA National Championships and 2024 National Golden Gloves, both at 165lbs.

Trained and managed by John Brown, who had previously guided Tommy Morrison to heavyweight stardom, the boxer known as “El Tiburon” or “The Shark” already has multiple dates lined up afterwards, including June 14 in Portland, Maine, and July 25 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

“We are hopeful that Noah Kidd can withstand Marco’s shark bites and give him several rounds of good work,” said Brown.

“’El Tiburon’ has four, maybe five bouts scheduled for the rest of the year and at that time, or before, we will partner up with one of the highly recognized promotional groups that have been pursuing Marco. He is a promoter’s dream: young, handsome, articulate, bilingual, and he has an action-packed style.  After watching ‘Canelo’ [Alvarez] last weekend……boxing needs a Marco Romero.”

Kidd, 10-13-2 (5 KOs), has proven a tough challenge for several up-and-coming fighters despite his record. The Jefferson City, Missouri-based spoiler has recent wins over 6-1 boxer Antonio Wade and 18-1 Deshaw Prather, plus losses to former world champion Sergio Martinez and Olympic gold medalist Daniyar Yeleussinov, among other top up-and-coming fighters.

Romero says he doesn’t mind the busy schedule; he’s just focused on the bigger picture.

“I love fighting this schedule, fighting every month or two. Maybe over time with all the wear and tear could tire me. But I was born to box; it’s my dream. Whoever Coach John (Brown) puts in front of me; I tell him I got him,” said Romero.

“I do think about when I’ll be fighting only twice a year for a lot more money than I’m making today. That’s my goal but I’m focused on the present. I’m working hard every day to get better. In the end, I want to walk away from boxing healthy and hopefully wealthy, like Coach John says. I really like this plan.”