Rolly Romero vs Teofimo Lopez Final Presser!

(August 20th) Friends become foes when WBA welterweight champion Rolly Romero defends against Teofimo Lopez in Las Vegas. After years of sparring and a shared amateur history, the two explosive fighters insist the friendship ends once the bell rings, with Romero’s power and Lopez’s bid for a third-division title raising the stakes.

Tickets for Romero vs. Lopez are available through AXS.com. 

Both camps stressed mutual respect but made clear that Saturday’s showdown is business. Romero enters as the defending welterweight champion following his win over Ryan Garcia, while Lopez moves up to 147 pounds looking to become a three-division world champion. The event takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and headlines a PBC pay-per-view card on DAZN and Prime Video.

Lopez acknowledged their long relationship, recalling that the pair came up around the same Olympic-cycle scene and “shared a lot of rounds” sparring. But he framed Romero as the division’s toughest available test, calling him “the best fighter at the 147 division and the hardest puncher.”

Romero’s trainer, Ismael Salas, expects tactics as well as violence, describing the matchup as “like a chess match” in which the winner will be the fighter who positions his pieces best. Teofimo Lopez Sr., meanwhile, predicted his son would become a three-time world champion, calling him “too technical, too fast, too smart, and too strong” for Romero—while also labeling the matchup a potential “dog fight.”

Teofimo Lopez Sr.

“This fight sells itself. We have two great fighters here fighting for the 147-pound division. You got the champion, Rolley. I’m just here, man—the guy, my son, like I always do, like every father should do. And I’m very proud of my son.

“He’s going to be three-time world champion come Saturday. I have no doubt about that. Please tune in. You have to see this fight. If you don’t see it live, you got to see it on DAZN.

“Rolly comes to fight all the time. This is all business. It’s nothing personal. The best man is going to win this fight, but I know my son is. He’s too technical, too fast, too smart and too strong for Roelly. This is going to be a dogfight, and whoever’s the best that night is going to win.”

Ismael Salas, Romero’s trainer

“I’ve always admired Teofimo’s family—Teo’s father, Teo himself. But the time has come, and it’s time to fight.

“This fight is actually going to be like a chess match. Let’s see who can place the pieces in the better way and come out with the win.

“May the best man win and, most importantly, may they both come out healthy and in the best shape possible.”

Teofimo Lopez

“Roelly and I, we go way back. We go back from the start of trying to get to the Olympics and trying to represent Team USA in the Olympic Games. We could have competed back in the Olympic trials and Olympic qualifiers in Colorado Springs, but we never got the chance to.

“But we did share a lot of rounds in the ring afterwards, and we sparred a lot. Now we’re here, I’d say about 10 years later.

“He’s the best fighter at 147 and the hardest puncher. I’m the type of guy that goes after challenges.”

“I’m determined. I’m ready. I’m focused on this fight. I know what it takes when it comes to Roelly. He’s a heavy-handed fighter. Most importantly, I think he’s also smart. He’s gotten better throughout the years, as you can see in his last fight against Ryan Garcia.

“This fight is one that you cannot miss. Any punch can end the fight, literally. Although we were friends—and we are friends in that sense—Saturday night, that goes out the window. Friends no more.”

“All the times I sparred with you, Roelly, I took it light on you. I’m not going to in this fight. I’m not going to at all. We’re going to put you down, man. It’s about time for it.”

Rolando “Rolly” Romero

“I don’t even know what to say. It’s like I get nervous on stage. You guys can’t tell.

“First and foremost, I’d like to thank God for this opportunity. I’d like to thank Al Haymon, my man Cuba, my team, Ismael Salas, my father, for taking this fight. I know he didn’t want to.

“It’s going to be a great show August 22. Buy the pay-per-view. Don’t miss out.”

Lopez on his demeanor

“I don’t like it, I’ll be honest. I don’t like it. But right now, I think it’s just the come-up—the climb up back on the ladder. It feels good at the same time. I guess it’s just me laser-focused. That’s really what it is.”

“There’s nothing much I could pull out of Rolley right now. He’s in his journey right now, and I just try to respect it because, at the end of it all, we are under the same creator. It’s a fine line there.”

“Our hands are going to be doing most of the talking that night.”

Lopez on moving to welterweight

“At 135, it was fun. At 140, it was a learning curve. Now, at 147, I feel like I’m filled in. I feel exactly where I should have been a year ago, but we’re here now.

“I can’t wait to give everyone the skill sets that I know that I have worked so hard for. This is 23 years in the making, going on year 24. I’ve been boxing since a young kid.”

“To me, he’s an interim champion. He’s never been an actual super or any world champion. He’s been elevated. I think some people forget that this guy is not in my league. He won’t ever be in my league. He never was in my league.”

Romero responds

“You can say all that. It’s all fun and games. You got the shirt off and all that stuff, showing your chest—same thing you did with Tank. I’ve seen all these things with you, and you can say all what you want to say, smile, but it ain’t going to matter come Saturday night.”

Heated exchange

Teofimo Lopez Sr.: “Everybody knows that wasn’t my son that night with Shakur. He didn’t slip a jab. My son beat Lomachenko.”

Teofimo Lopez: “We beat Lomachenko. We’re going to beat your ass, too. You got to hit him, bro.”

Lopez Sr.: “I’m coming back with vengeance. And I mean that. I ain’t coming back with no other stuff but that. I’m coming for you first. You’re going to be my Judas.”

Romero: “I’ve been the only boxer to support you.”

Lopez: “You took the fight because you know you believe you could beat me. As you should. You’re the champion, ain’t you?”

Romero: “The last one I wanted to fight.”

Lopez: “But now we here.”

Salas–Lopez Sr. confrontation

Ismael Salas: “I don’t like to be a big mouth. I don’t need to show anything at the real time. We do the real things and you will see it Saturday night.

“I have my level. I am a trainer. I am not a clown. The day of the fight is the day we show what we have.”

Lopez Sr.: “2020 trainer of the year.”

Salas: “I’m very proud to be a Cuban. I never hide to be a Cuban. I’ve been making 25 world champions in my whole life—not only Cuban.”

Lopez Sr.: “Roelly’s not even going to touch my son in every round. I’m telling you right now.”

Closing exchanges

Romero: “Four kings, four queens. I’m a black horse. I’ma deliver a smother mate.”

Lopez: “No pressure at all. The Hall of Fame is up to you guys at the end of it all. You see the résumé, the amount of fights and what we put in there. I could say I was a Hall of Famer at about 25, but that’s my opinion.

“We’re still in the game, so we can’t call Hall of Famers yet until we hang it up. I’m 29, and all I can focus on is aiming at another division. The road to undisputed starts now.”

Romero, when asked what he admires about Lopez: “Tio has a really good heart, man.”

Romero, on fighting a friend: “If they give me $100 million, I’ll punch my dad in the face right now.”

Lopez, on what fans should expect: “Expect a good show, man. Expect a fun night, honestly, and a back-and-forth exchange. Despite everything, we’re under the same timeline of fighting. Eventually, when we hang up the gloves, we’re all going to be retired together.

“In the meantime, it’s a fight. We got to go and do what we got to do first. May the best man win. I look forward to winning.”

The card takes place Saturday, August 22, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with the joint PBC pay-per-view broadcast available on DAZN and Prime Video beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

Date: Saturday, 22 August 2026

Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada

Promoter: Tom Brown - TGB Promotions - Premier Boxing Champions (PBC)

Matchmaker: Tom Brown - TGB Promotions

Media: DAZN and Prime Video pay-per-view

For tickets to Rolando “Rolly” Romero vs Teofimo “The Takeover” Lopez Saturday, August 22, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas just (click here).

Teofimo Lopez & Rolly Romero Media Workout!

(August 20th) Teofimo Lopez and Rolly Romero brought contrasting energy to the open media workout in Las Vegas: Lopez looked relaxed but intensely focused on his first fight at 147, while Romero arrived as the WBA welterweight champion with the kind of unpredictability that makes the matchup hard to ignore. The August 22 main event at T-Mobile Arena has real stakes—Romero’s first title defense and Lopez’s bid to become a three-division champion.

The workout was more about setting tone than revealing tactics. Lopez’s message was measured: respect Romero’s ability, acknowledge the danger of moving to welterweight, and emphasize that he is taking the challenge seriously rather than treating it as a routine title opportunity.

That is the intriguing angle entering fight week. Lopez has the cleaner résumé and greater technical pedigree, but Romero brings legitimate size, power and an awkward ability to force opponents into his pace. Lopez has not dismissed that threat—an unusually sober posture for a fighter who often sells a bout with flamboyance.

Lopez framed his move to welterweight as a calculated risk against a dangerous puncher, while Romero is treating the friendship as strictly secondary to title business. With the same age, similar height and nearly identical reach, the story is less about physical dimensions than whether Lopez’s precision can neutralize Romero’s pace and power.

“I’m fighting a big puncher at 147 and going up to that weight for the first time. We’re taking a risk, because it’s no risk, no reward.”

“Every fight at 147 will be my biggest fight. I won’t say they’ll all be the most challenging. The best man will end up on top. Right now I’m only focused on Rolly Romero.”

“I think Rolly’s skills are underappreciated. He controls the pace and makes it his fight, everyone overlooks that.”

“He’s a world champion for a reason.”

Lopez Sr. selling a disciplined Teofimo performance: use movement, timing and pure boxing to take away Romero’s punching opportunities, rather than standing in front of the WBA champion looking for a highlight-reel finish.

“My son is gonna box the s*** out of Rolly. My son is a pure boxer. Rolly has some power, but he won’t be able to touch my son. Just watch.”

“I never tell my son to go for the knockout. Every time he knocked someone out, it came naturally. Just go out there and outbox him. My son can make it look easy.”

Rolly Romero

“It’s been a hard time trying to make a fight, but we know that Teofimo is gonna fight anyone.”

“A fight’s a fight, a sparring session is sparring. Everyone’s sparring each other. People get cracked. Now we’re doing it under the big lights for a belt.”

“He’s not my friend, he’s my little brother.”

“This is going to be an action-packed, fight of the year kind of fight. Teo and I are always in entertaining fights.”

Unseen sparring, private training, one belt and no friendship when the bell rings. Ahead of one of the most intriguing fights of the summer, an exclusive behind-the-scenes look goes inside the training camps of WBA Welterweight World Champion, Rolando “Rolly” Romero and former two-division world champion, Teofimo “The Takeover” Lopez as they prepare to collide Saturday, August 22, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The footage captures the intensity, personalities and preparation surrounding a matchup made even more compelling by the fact that Romero and Lopez have known each other for years and have shared sparring sessions before being matched as professional opponents. The fighters themselves acknowledge that familiarity can reveal tendencies and secrets, but they also recognize the crucial difference between gym rounds and a championship fight under the lights.

“Locked In” takes you behind the curtain of two very different camps as Romero prepares for the first defense of his WBA welterweight championship while Lopez moves up to 147 pounds in pursuit of a world title in a third division. PBC officially lists Romero as the reigning WBA welterweight champion and Lopez as a two-division world champion, with the August 22 showdown scheduled for T-Mobile Arena and available on DAZN and Prime Video. Romero enters the fight after his breakthrough victory over Ryan Garcia and a lengthy layoff, while Lopez is attempting to rebound from his loss to Shakur Stevenson and immediately re-establish himself at the championship level. The supplied footage emphasizes Lopez’s meticulous camp—including conditioning, mobility, nutrition, hydration and sparring—while Romero’s camp reflects his Las Vegas roots, confidence and renewed focus.

The centerpiece is the unseen sparring and training footage that provides a rare glimpse into the preparation of two fighters who already know one another from the gym. Lopez’s team stresses that moving to 147 pounds allows him to train without the same weight-making strain, while Romero’s side views the matchup as an opportunity to test himself against another elite-level opponent. PBC trainer Ismael Salas has described the matchup as a fight in which styles could favor Romero, while Lopez and his father, Teofimo Lopez Sr., enter camp believing the move to welterweight can unlock another level of his ability.

What makes the story especially compelling is the personal familiarity between the two men. Romero has described Lopez not simply as a friend but as his “little brother,” while Lopez has made clear that once someone stands between him and his championship ambitions, friendship takes a back seat. Their history gives the matchup an unusual layer: they have trained together, understand each other’s personalities and tendencies, and now must translate that knowledge into a high-stakes world-title fight. The result is a clash in which the past may provide valuable insight—but neither fighter can afford to assume that what happened in sparring will determine what happens on fight night.

As Las Vegas prepares for another major boxing night, “Rolly Romero vs. Teofimo Lopez — Unseen Sparring & Training Camps | Locked In” offers an intimate look at the work, confidence, pressure and personal history behind the championship collision. Romero is protecting his newly established position at welterweight; Lopez is attempting to turn a difficult setback into a new beginning. Two former friends. Two elite competitors. One WBA Welterweight Belt. August 22 is where everything they believe about themselves gets tested for real.

Face Off: Rolly Romero vs Teofimo Lopez!

(July 29th) Rolly Romero and Teofimo Lopez came face to face in a tense, electric staredown that added real heat to their upcoming world title fight. Rolly squared up to Teofimo and the two exchanged words with icy confidence, making it clear that whatever friendship or history they shared goes out the window once the bell rings.

Rolando “Rolly” Romero & Teófimo Lopez

Promise Fireworks Ahead of August 22nd

Clash at T-Mobile Arena In Las Vegas!

(July 9th) Rolando “Rolly” Romero and Teófimo Lopez came face-to-face at a press conference in Los Angeles to officially launch their highly anticipated WBA welterweight world championship showdown, set for Saturday, August 22, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The event will stream live on DAZN and Prime Video as part of the new partnership between Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) and DAZN.

The matchup pits reigning WBA welterweight champion Rolando Romero against former two-division world champion Teófimo Lopez in a fight featuring two of boxing’s biggest personalities and most confident competitors.

Promoted by TGB Promotions in association with Takeover Promotions, the event marks the first major PBC card under the new DAZN partnership.

“This is a promoter’s dream fight. Two big personalities, two old-school throwback type fighters, both willing to trade shot for shot,” said TGB Promotions’ Tom Brown. “It’s going to be an all-action fight.”

Lopez enters the bout looking to become a three-division world champion after capturing titles at lightweight and junior welterweight. His team believes the move to 147 pounds will bring out the best version of “The Takeover.”

“This is historic type stuff,” said Lopez’s manager Keith Connolly. “Once he wins this title, we’re talking huge mega fights after that — one after another.”

Lopez said the challenge was exactly what he wanted at this stage of his career.

“Everything is at stake truthfully,” Lopez said. “Was Teófimo Lopez just good in the early part of his career and this is the end of his career, or is this now the start of something new? I look forward to it.”

He added: “I want to thank the champ for accepting it… he’s a three-weight division world champion, something that I’m looking forward to doing and accomplishing on August 22nd.”

Romero, who captured the WBA welterweight title with a victory over Ryan Garcia, welcomed the challenge and said he is excited to return to action after time away from the ring.

“I needed time off to focus on me,” Romero said. “But I’m just happy we got another pay-per-view event. We’re kicking off the DAZN and PBC deal, and there are so many great fights to come from it.”

Romero believes the personal history between the two fighters will add another layer to an already explosive matchup.

“Me and Tio ain’t friends. He’s my little brother,” Romero said. “At the end of it, if I’m going to lose this belt or defend my belt, I’d rather it be with him than anyone else. Only God knows what’s going to happen.”

The fighters acknowledged their long history, including past sparring sessions, but both made clear that August 22 will be about settling business inside the ring.

“This is how we make boxing great again,” Lopez said. “It needs entertainment, and I think that starts right here.”

Romero’s trainer Ismael Salas believes the matchup favors his fighter stylistically.

“It’s a perfect fight for Rolley,” Salas said. “Everybody will see how much he has improved and how much he has matured.”

Lopez’s father and trainer, Teófimo Lopez Sr., predicted a statement performance from his son.

“My son is going to be a three-time world champion come August 22nd,” Lopez Sr. said. “It’s going to be a fight that everybody should see.”

With championship stakes, personal history, and two elite competitors promising an all-out battle, Romero vs. Lopez is positioned as one of boxing’s most anticipated summer events.

About the Premier Boxing Champions
Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), was created for television by Haymon Sports, LLC, in January 2015.  PBC is a boxing series that returns the sweet science to its rightful place atop the sports pantheon.

Featuring today’s best and brightest stars in their toughest, most anticipated bouts, Premier Boxing Champions is broadcast and streamed live on Prime Video.

PBC takes boxing back to its roots. This is boxing, pure and simple, where what’s brought to the fight, mentally and physically, is what determines who goes home the winner, and who just goes home.

Bouts featured within the PBC Series are promoted by licensed promoters, with each bout in accordance with applicable regulatory rules and regulations.

Amazon Prime Video has become a significant player in boxing broadcasting, partnering with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) to stream live events, including both Pay-Per-View (PPV) and non-PPV fights. This partnership began in late 2023 after PBC's previous deal with Showtime Sports ended. Prime Video now airs 12-14 fights annually, showcasing high-profile matchups and rising stars in the sport.

The platform offers flexibility for viewers, allowing both Prime members and non-members to purchase and watch PPV events. In addition to live broadcasts, Amazon integrates features like merchandise sales, ticket promotions, and other interactive elements to enhance the viewing experience. Recent notable events include Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach Jr. and Sebastian Fundora's title defense against Chordale Booker.

Prime Video's entry into boxing aligns with its broader strategy to become a leading entertainment destination by offering diverse sports content. This move places Amazon in competition with platforms like DAZN and ESPN, further expanding boxing's reach through digital streaming.

About DAZN

Welcome to DAZN, the global sports streaming platform that transcends boundaries and redefines the way fans experience their favorite sports. With availability in over 200 territories, DAZN ensures that sports enthusiasts around the world can immerse themselves in the thrill of live and on-demand content, on any device, at the touch of a button.

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Whether you prefer a traditional, more passive sports-watching experience or crave a gamified and interactive adventure, DAZN caters to your preferences. We're not just streaming sports; we're crafting an all-encompassing sports entertainment universe where every fan can find their perfect match. Join DAZN today and elevate your sports-watching experience to new heights.