Following his upset win over Ryan Garcia in May of last year, Romero’s name was linked to the likes of Devin Haney, Conor Benn and Garcia for a rematch.

However, one by one, those bouts fell by the wayside for varying reasons. At the time, Romero was frustrated with the business side of boxing. Now, looking back, the current WBA welterweight champion believes it all worked out for the better.

He said he was battling depression that lasted more than two years.

“I tried to make all of those big fights but remember this: God don’t make mistakes,” Romero told The Ring’s Mike Coppinger. “If I would've fought any of those fights at the time, I would have physically lost because I was not right, but now is the time.”

The 30-year-old from Las Vegas is scheduled to defend his championship against former two-division titleholder Teofimo Lopez on August 22 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on DAZN Pay-Per-View.

So, in the end, Romero (17-2, 13 KOs) landed his big fight. At the same time, he said he won't forget the potential opponents who turned him down.

“They literally all ducked me,” Romero said. “But luckily for me, Teofimo will fight anybody. After I beat Ryan, I went through a crazy depression where I was going to kill myself, but I told Christ I would start to follow him. I was in a depression for 747 days.”

Meanwhile, Lopez (22-2, 13 KOs) has received a special opportunity.

A win over Romero would give him a major title in a third weight class, which would cement his place as an accomplished champion. It would also show fans that the lopsided beating he took at the hands of Shakur Stevenson on January 31 is now behind him.