Romero: Tank Don’t Want This Sh!t! If He Wished, He Would Fight Some Other 126, 122-Pounder

Rolando Romero claims Gervonta Davis has taken their fight only because it was mandated by the WBA.

Given a choice, Romero believes Davis gladly would’ve fought someone other than him. Romero, of North Las Vegas, Nevada, is the WBA’s number one contender in the 135-pound division, however, which was why the WBA ordered their fight last year for Davis’ WBA world lightweight title.

Their 12-round fight was rescheduled for Saturday night, nearly seven months after organizers removed Romero from a bout versus Davis that was supposed to take place December 5 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Mexico City’s Isaac Cruz replaced Romero as Davis’ opponent once a woman with whom Romero was acquainted accused him of sexually assaulting her at some point in the fall of 2019.

Detectives with the Henderson, Nevada Police Department investigated those allegations, but Romero was not charged with a crime. Granted a second shot at the undefeated Davis, Romero (14-0, 12 KOs) is more motivated than ever to knock out his rival in their Showtime Pay-Per-View main event Saturday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn (9 p.m. ET; 6 p.m. PT; $74.99).

A few years after Romero says Davis didn’t show up for a pair of scheduled sparring sessions at Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas, they’ll finally face each other with a lot more at stake.

“If I say I’m gonna spar somebody, I’m gonna spar somebody, right? I mean, he ducked me twice, even then,” Romero told Premier Boxing Champions’ Ray Flores during an open workout recently at Mayweather Boxing Club. “So, I mean, I’ve been calling him out since 2017. The reason why the fight’s made is because I want it, not because he wants it. He don’t want this sh!t! If he wished, he would fight some other 126, 122-pounder.”

Romero has criticized Davis (26-0, 24 KOs) for beating opponents who’ve moved up in weight to face the powerful southpaw from Baltimore – namely Leo Santa Cruz, Yuriorkis Gamboa and Hugo Ruiz. The 26-year-old Romero has fought at or near the lightweight limit of 135 pounds since he turned pro late in 2016.

“This is a very dangerous fight for both guys,” Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather Promotions’ CEO, told Flores during the aforementioned open workout. “You know, Tank is one of the best fighters in the entire world right now. He’s very slick. He has tremendous skills that he hasn’t really had a chance to really showcase his boxing skills. Everyone knows he’s a tremendous puncher. And when you look at Rolly, like I said, he does some things that are very different. He’s a awkward fighter.

“But sometimes those kind of things work to your advantage. I’ve seen awkward fighters be very successful. Just to name a couple, Ricardo Mayorga, Juan Roldan, Marcos Maidana … Sakio Bika. You know, sometimes it’s hard to prepare for guys that aren’t the traditional [opponents], you know, guys with their styles. So again, it’s gonna be a very, very entertaining fight and I expect this fight to end definitely in a knockout.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.