Boxing
Lelinwalla: How Romero-Lopez offers cautionary tale for Stevenson-Davis
Romero vs Lopez: DAZN PPV & Prime Video - Saturday
‘There are no friends in boxing’ is one of the sport’s go-to adages.
Well, like clockwork, here we are on the brink of pals Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero and Teofimo Lopez Jr. vying for Romero’s WBA welterweight world title at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and live on DAZN PPV and Prime Video, on Saturday night.
Tensions and accusations build in Romero vs. Lopez Face Off
BUY NOW: Watch Romero vs. Lopez exclusively on DAZN PPV & Ultimate Tier
The buildup has already seen Romero revealing how Lopez once gave him $5,000 in cash to lift his spirits and how he was there to give ‘The Takeover’ a morale boost following the New Yorker’s loss to Shakur Stevenson in January.
Romero even referred to Lopez as his “little brother” while speaking with DAZN Boxing’s ShowBizz The Adult, going as far as to say, “If I’m to lose my belt, I’d rather give it to Teofimo than anyone else.”
I think all of this should serve as a cautionary tale to Shakur Stevenson and Keyshawn Davis. The two boxing stars have often referred to their bond as being brotherly too, superseding the need for them to ever clash in the ring.
“It’s family, bro,” Davis told Ring Magazine last year. “I’m never ever, ever fighting Shakur. I’m not. It’s just not even going to feel right.”
Well, this isn’t to second-guess or scratch at their pact of vowing to never fight each other.
Their brotherly bond might well indeed be closer and more bulletproof than that of the one shared between Romero and Lopez. However, the latter pair is proof of how much things can change in a short period of time.
While being interviewed in an exclusive for DAZN News, Lopez mentioned to me how he and ‘Rolly’ have a friendship that dates back to 2015 and how it only started seeing a shift roughly a year and a half ago.
On paper, though, ‘Rolly’ and ‘The Takeover’ simply seem to be only putting their friendship aside for the sake of business. I expect an embrace and full return to the friendship following the fight, regardless of its results.
Who’s to say that Stevenson and Davis can’t do the same one day, converging arguably the best pure boxer in the sport today with Davis, who mixes sound sweet science ability with scrappy fighting?
I think boxing fans don’t want to see them toss aside their deeply rooted friendship. I don't. For what? I believe it’s more of a magnetic allure of what if.
What if Stevenson puts his superior brand up against Davis’ gritty boxing? Can ‘Thee Amazing’ Davis figure out Stevenson who touts one of the more complex defenses in boxing history?
Perhaps ‘there are no friends in boxing’ will eventually ring true with them, too. Or they’ll defeat the adage and continue being each other’s support system as they reign undefeated for years to come.
Whatever the case, ‘Rolly’ vs. Lopez should serve as a cautionary tale to Stevenson and Davis, and any other 'friends' in boxing as well.
Romero vs. Lopez - Watch on DAZN PPV & Prime Video
The WBA welterweight title is on the line as Rolly Romero and Teofimo Lopez face off this Saturday, August 22, live on DAZN.
Buy as a one-off PPV, via DAZN on Prime Video, or included along with Moses vs. Hrgovic (Aug 29) and Canelo vs. Mbilli (Oct 31) PPVs with a DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription.
