Rolando “Rolly” Romero is now the WBA’s primary – and sole – titleholder at 147lbs.
Romero, 17-2 (13 KOs), claimed the sanctioning body’s vacant secondary belt in May with an upset unanimous decision victory over Ryan Garcia, even though neither man had done anything of note yet in the welterweight division.
At the time, the primary titleholder was Jaron “Boots” Ennis, who just weeks beforehand had become the unified IBF/WBA titleholder with his April 12 technical knockout of Eimantas Stanionis.
Ennis has since moved up to junior middleweight, though he is yet to fight at 154lbs. The IBF belt was officially listed as vacant as of early July. The latest WBA ratings, released August 1, also reflect Ennis’ departure from 147lbs. The WBA has slotted Ennis in at No. 2 at 154lbs. He is not currently ranked by the IBF at junior middleweight.
Ennis’ abdication means Romero has been upgraded, which means Romero is now a two-division titleholder. He won the WBA’s vacant junior welterweight belt in May 2023 with a ninth-round technical knockout of Ismael Barroso, which referee Tony Weeks stopped controversially. Romero lost in his first title defense, dispatched in eight rounds by Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz in March 2024.
The WBA’s No. 1 welterweight contender is Shakhram Giyasov, 17-0 (10 KOs). Giyasov has been in that position since October 2023 but stepped aside to allow Ennis-Stanionis to take place.
Giyasov last fought on the Ennis-Stanionis undercard, defeating the 17-2 Franco Maximiliano Ocampo via fourth-round knockout.
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
