Romero eager to arrange showdown with Pacquiao

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Count Rolly Romero in.

Days after Manny Pacquiao (MP) Promotions President Sean Gibbons expressed their plans to arrange a blockbuster fight, Rolly Romero was quick to respond and already aired his desire to fight the Filipino pride.

“A Hall of Famer on my resume, who wouldn’t want that? That’s the easiest way to get into the Hall of Fame, right?” said Romero in an interview with BoxingScene.

Romero, the current World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight champion, is coming off a massive victory over heavy favorite Ryan Garcia last May 25, 2025.

Despite fighting a total of only 19 professional fights, Gibbons believed that Romero would be an exciting fight for Pacquiao, both skill-wise and from a promotional standpoint.

“Rolly Romero would be an unbelievably fun fight. Romero just beat Ryan Garcia. Rolly Romero and Manny Pacquiao would be a hell of a promotion,” said Gibbons.

Romero kicked off his pro boxing career with a brawler mentality and always preferred to close the gap by going on the inside perimeter of his opponents.

However, that strategy didn’t benefit him after he started to receive some major title fights, as evidenced by how he succumbed to Gervonta “Tank” Davis via a knockout loss.

Romero suffered another loss at the hands of Isaac Cruz, but showed vast improvement against Manuel Jaimes when he became more patient with his attacks.

The once brawler-type fighter completely shifted into a semi-technical boxer, and that was evident when he put on a show against Garcia.

“If a legend is asking to make a fight with you, that says something. And it’s not only because of the belt, it’s because I can sell the fight, too, and I’m on par with who he is. That speaks highly of how much potential I truly have,” added Romero.