Rolando “Rolly” Romero paused, appearing as if he was about to choose his words carefully — something that is rare for him.
But then the WBA super lightweight champion unloaded in trademark style.
And he certainly didn’t hold back.
“Everybody was just hating on me like they normally do, because people love to hate on me,” Rolando told The Post. “Somehow I’m still here. … They’re just mad about that.”
The 29-year-old Romero, a Las Vegas native, in recent months has found himself in a place he’s grown accustomed to, and somewhere he’s perhaps more comfortable than any other boxer currently in the sport — the source of wide-scale vitriol.
His last bout last May, a ninth-round TKO win over Ismael Barroso, which earned him his WBA title at 140 pounds, was shrouded in controversy.
Referee Tony Weeks’ stoppage appeared to be extremely premature, though he claimed he wanted to prevent Barroso from further damage and that Barroso being 40 years old at the time played a factor in his decision.
But replay showed that Romero’s punches did not exactly land flush on Barroso, who looked like he was still defending himself adequately.
To make matters worse, Barroso was winning on all three judges’ scorecards at the time of the stoppage.
Even though he wasn’t the one who decided to stop the fight, Romero subsequently came under immense scorn.
But he’s loved every bit of it.
“I’m a guy who’s made a career off a lot of people not liking me,” Romero said. “They just don’t like me because I speak my mind and I speak what’s really on my mind. People hate you if you do everything wrong. And people hate you if you do everything right. So who the f–k gives a f–k. It’s the truth.”
Much of that sentiment stems from Romero’s brash personality and acceptance that he’s one of boxing’s biggest heels.
And he’s laughing all the way to the bank.
Love him or hate him, people tune in to watch Romero.
His draw helped him earn an extremely lucrative fight against Gervonta Davis in 2022 in which he was brutally knocked out to mark the only loss of his career.
Along with his personality, Romero is one of boxing’s biggest punchers and a knockout artist, something that is hard to find at lower weights.
It’s helped set up his next fight, where Romero (15-1, 13 KOs) will defend his title against 25-year-old Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz (25-2-1, 17 KOs) as the co-main event on the stacked Tim Tszyu-Sebastian Fundora card on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The pay-per-view will be available on both Amazon’s Prime Video and PPV.com.
“Rolly makes people feel uncomfortable,” Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe, who oversees Romero’s promotion and became one of the most influential figures in the sport after playing a pivotal role in Floyd Mayweather’s rise, told The Post. “He talks that talk and he backs it up when he gets in the ring. That’s why Rolly right now, he’s just gotta focus on going and winning this fight. He’s gonna be the biggest name in the entire division. He’s gonna be the most sought after guy in the division. Let them keep on talking.
“When he wins March 30, watch what position Rolly is gonna be in. Everybody else is gonna be falling in line the way it’s supposed to go.”
Romero’s promotion. Getty Images
Romero promises he’s not putting on an act.
It’s just who he is, and he has no plans of changing.
“It just comes by nature,” Romero said. “Some people are boring by nature. Some people are entertaining by nature. I don’t even need to do anything and I’m entertaining. Some people are just boring by nature. Some people have zero personality. Even when I fight, you can see every bit of my personality when I fight.”
Saturday’s bout will be the inaugural boxing card on Prime Video, as the platform recently struck a deal with Premier Boxing Champions to air their cards.
Romero finally let his guard down a bit, revealing how much it means to him to help usher in this new era.
“As a kid, you think I thought that I would be backed by the biggest company in the world? That’s crazy,” Romero said. “That’s a dream come true. To even be part of something as big as what Amazon is, and they’re helping me become a star? That’s a blessing.”