Teofimo Lopez Dethrones Rolly Romero to Become Three-Division World Champion

Lopez captures WBA welterweight title in controversial majority decision

Teofimo Lopez has added another world title to his résumé, defeating Rolando “Rolly” Romero by majority decision at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to become a three-division world champion.

Lopez won the WBA welterweight championship after 12 rounds on Saturday night, with the judges scoring the fight 116-112, 115-113 and 114-114. The result saw Lopez take the title from Romero in his first fight at 147 pounds and provided a major response after his disappointing defeat to Shakur Stevenson earlier this year.

The official scorecards reflected a competitive contest, although Lopez appeared to control much of the fight through his superior activity, jab and movement. Some observers felt the judges' scores were unnecessarily close, while others questioned the overall quality of the fight. The victory nonetheless gives Lopez another world championship and puts him back among the major names in the welterweight division.

Lopez controls the fight after surviving a dangerous fifth round

Lopez entered the bout with plenty to prove. The 29-year-old had moved up from super lightweight following his January loss to Stevenson and was immediately facing a reigning world champion in his welterweight debut.

Romero had won the WBA welterweight title in May 2025 by upsetting Ryan Garcia and was making his first defense of the championship. The 30-year-old had also previously held the WBA super lightweight title before losing to Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz in 2024.

Lopez started the fight looking to establish distance and dictate the pace. His jab allowed him to keep Romero at range while he mixed in right hands and body shots. Romero, by contrast, appeared content to wait for counterpunching opportunities rather than consistently initiating exchanges.

That approach produced a dramatic moment in the fifth round.

Romero landed one of his most significant punches of the fight, staggering Lopez and opening a cut near the challenger's eye. Lopez was visibly hurt and appeared close to being overwhelmed, giving Romero perhaps his best opportunity to change the entire fight.

But Lopez survived the danger.

Rather than allowing the setback to derail his performance, he returned in the sixth round with greater discipline and resumed controlling the distance. His ability to recover from Romero's best moment ultimately became one of the defining aspects of the fight.

A calculated performance from Lopez

Once he had weathered the fifth-round storm, Lopez increasingly found success with his jab and body work.

He remained the more active fighter, forcing Romero to react rather than allowing the champion to establish his preferred counterpunching rhythm. Romero still had moments, but he struggled to maintain sustained offensive pressure.

Lopez's strategy was particularly effective in the middle and late rounds. He used his footwork to control the range, landed combinations when Romero became static and repeatedly attacked the body.

The fight never developed into the explosive shootout that some fans expected from two fighters with outspoken personalities and significant knockout power. Instead, Lopez largely turned it into a tactical contest.

That was enough to secure the championship.

One judge scored the fight a draw, but the other two awarded Lopez the victory, allowing him to leave Las Vegas with the WBA belt.

Romero loses the title after 15 months away

For Romero, the defeat ends his reign as WBA welterweight champion.

He had not fought since his stunning victory over Ryan Garcia in May 2025, a result that transformed his career and earned him a world title opportunity. He was subsequently elevated to full WBA champion after Jaron “Boots” Ennis vacated his welterweight titles and moved up to 154 pounds.

The long layoff was always going to be a factor entering Saturday's fight. Romero showed flashes of the power that had carried him to major victories, particularly in the fifth round, but he struggled to produce enough sustained offense to convince enough judges that he had done enough to retain his championship.

After the final bell, Romero left the ring without having regained the momentum he generated against Garcia.

His record falls to 17-3, while Lopez improves to 23-2 following the victory.

The three-division achievement

The significance of Lopez's victory goes beyond the belt itself.

He is now a world champion in three weight divisions, having previously captured major titles at lightweight and super lightweight before moving up to welterweight.

His most famous victory came in 2020, when he defeated Vasiliy Lomachenko to become the unified lightweight champion. Lopez later captured the undisputed super lightweight championship from Josh Taylor before eventually losing that status.

His career has since been marked by spectacular highs and frustrating inconsistencies. The defeat to Stevenson in January appeared to raise further questions about his place among boxing's elite.

Saturday's victory answers at least some of those questions.

Moving up to 147 pounds and immediately defeating the division's WBA champion is a significant accomplishment, particularly given that Lopez had to recover from a dangerous moment in the fifth round.

The victory also puts him in position to pursue bigger fights in one of boxing's deepest divisions.

Controversy follows the decision

While Lopez deserved credit for his performance, the scoring has already generated debate.

The three official cards were 116-112, 115-113 and 114-114, meaning one judge saw the fight as completely even. Several observers felt Lopez had won more clearly than the cards suggested, while others criticised the fight itself and questioned whether the close scoring reflected what happened in the ring.

MMA Fighting, for example, had Lopez winning much more comfortably at 118-110, arguing that his consistent offense and control of the fight outweighed Romero's isolated moments.

The controversy is therefore less about whether Lopez deserved the victory than about how wide the margin should have been.

Romero's supporters can point to the fifth round and several defensive stretches where Lopez struggled to find clean openings. But Lopez's greater activity and ability to dictate the tempo over the majority of the 12 rounds ultimately gave him the edge on the official cards.

What comes next for Lopez?

The victory immediately changes the conversation surrounding Lopez.

According to the post-fight welterweight landscape reported by Uncrowned, Lopez is now the WBA champion and is expected to face mandatory challenger Jack Catterall next. Other major champions in the division include Devin Haney, who holds the WBO title, and Ryan Garcia, who owns the WBC belt and is scheduled to defend it against Conor Benn on September 12.

That creates the possibility of significant unification fights down the road.

Lopez has previously spoken about his desire to compete at the highest level, and winning a title at 147 pounds gives him another route toward becoming an undisputed champion.

But before looking too far ahead, he may have personal priorities to address. Following the fight, Lopez indicated that he intends to take some time away from boxing as he prepares for fatherhood before deciding on his next move.

A major comeback for “The Takeover”

For Lopez, the victory represents a significant rebound.

His loss to Stevenson in January was a frustrating night in which he struggled to impose himself. Eight months later, he has moved up in weight, faced a reigning world champion and walked away with another world title.

The performance was not perfect. Romero hurt him badly in the fifth round, the scorecards were controversial and the fight itself failed to produce the sustained action many expected.

But Lopez did what championship-level fighters are supposed to do: he adapted when the fight became dangerous.

He survived Romero's best moment, returned to his boxing, controlled the distance and accumulated enough rounds to reclaim a world championship.

At 29, Lopez now has titles in three weight divisions and another opportunity to establish himself among boxing's elite.

For Romero, the road back begins immediately.

For Lopez, the question is no longer whether he can become a three-division champion.

He already is one.

Now the challenge is to determine how far he can take the WBA welterweight title.