Marco Romero’s last bout was just the second time he had been taken the distance – and only the first time that he fought past the sixth round.

Romero, a 20-year-old super middleweight, moved to 13-0 (11 KOs), with an eight-round shutout of the 14-5-1 William Langston on March 20, which ended a nine-fight knockout streak. Prior to that, Romero stopped Vaughn Alexander in the sixth round in February.

Romero’s next date is tentatively scheduled for May 16 at the Kansas City Scottish Rite in Kansas City, Missouri, according to a press release and the show’s BoxRec listing. 

This will be Romero’s second straight show in his home region. No opponent was named, but the bout is scheduled for eight rounds, with the goal to step Romero up to a 10-rounder by the end of 2026.

“I’ve always said I don’t go into a fight looking for a knockout. My job is to win and dominate,” Romero was quoted as saying in the press release. “I won every round and proved it doesn’t matter about my opponent’s size. He was taller, more experienced, and at his peak man strength. He had a longer reach and bigger frame than me, but I’m a dog!”   

Romero’s team also compared their scorecards – 80-72 across the board – to how another prospect, Moreno Fendero, fared against Langston last November. Fendero moved to 13-0 that night by outpointing Langston, 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94.

“It is a good gauge about where I’m at,” Romero said. “I’m ready for all comers. [...] No disrespect to anybody, but I’ve shown I’m 100 percent up to or surpassing other top prospects in my weight class. My performance shows I’m ready to compete at a higher level. Some people were a little worried about my size disadvantage in this fight; I may be a little smaller than some other fighters at 168 [Romero is 5-foot-10], but I still run over my opponents.”

Romero is not currently ranked by any of the four major sanctioning bodies. He is managed and trained by John Brown, and is a promotional free agent.

“Marco just fought a guy and went eight rounds. He really never got hit with a solid shot, which keeps his brain safe and low mileage,” Brown said in the press release. “There is always room for improvement, and we are going to give Marco enough time to achieve his full potential. Thankfully, pro boxing seems to be back on track and most of the promotional companies are strongly interested in this quality young man. We are not in a hurry and will eventually partner with those that parallel our vision for Marco.”

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.