He was stopped by Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz in 2024.

And he was fortunate to sneak away with a controversial ninth-round stoppage win against Ismael Barroso in a May 2023 fight he was losing on all three scorecards. The win came with a stain, as many of Romero’s peers billed him as the worst active titleholder at the time.

But Romero has revived his career and taken a seat at the head of the welterweight table by dropping and decisioning Ryan Garcia last time out in May 2025.

The upset ultimately made Romero the WBA welterweight titleholder, once Jaron “Boots” Ennis gave up his WBA belt in June 2025 and Romero was elevated from the status of secondary champion.

After failed negotiations for a rematch against Garcia as well as fights against Manny Pacquiao, Devin Haney and Conor Benn, Romero finally found a willing and able dance partner in Teofimo Lopez, an opponent he considers a dear friend.

Romero (17-2, 13 KOs) and Lopez (22-2, 13 KOs) will set aside their relationship and relish in combat on Saturday night. They’ll meet at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where they’ll headline a DAZN and Prime Video pay-per-view event presented by Premier Boxing Champions ($79.99; 8 p.m. ET; 5 p.m. PT).

Lopez, who has career-best wins against Vasiliy Lomachenko and Josh Taylor as well as losses against Shakur Stevenson and George Kambosos Jr., believes Romero is the real deal.

“He’s at that level of Lomachenko and Stevenson,” Lopez told The Ring. “He’s a champion for a reason. He’s a three-division titleholder for a reason. People tend to think of his style and how he looks when he fights. But the guy finds a way to win. So, we miss out on those things by discrediting how they look.

“It’s not how you look. It’s how you win, and it’s how you move on from it. He’s a tough competitor. He’s the toughest guy that I’m facing at 147 pounds. I think everyone knows that, and we’re here to step up to the plate and take over.”

Romero is not ranked among The Ring’s top 10 contenders for a welterweight title that’s vacant. But he is ranked by Lopez, a former unified lightweight and Ring and WBO junior welterweight champ, as a close friend.

“I’d say that the hardest part is taking those steps [toward separating our relationship],” Lopez said. “The most difficult part is actually going along with it. There is a point in boxing where if people continue to see friendships happening and occurring, we’re gonna get fewer fights. So, we have to lead by example.”

Lopez is confident he can crush Romero following his lopsided loss against Stevenson in January. Lopez won only one round across the scorecards and was out-landed 165 to 72 in what proved to be his final fight at 140 pounds following a four-year, seven-fight run in the division.

“Everything against Stevenson happened exactly the way it needed to happen,” Lopez said. “Now we’re here. We didn’t miss a beat. We just got elevated to something bigger and better.

“I am always confident that I will be victorious. I know that with training and everything that I’m aligning with, it’s time for me to really step up to who I am.”

Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan.