Once upon a time, current WBA welterweight champion Rolly Romero was rumored to be the frontrunner to fight boxing legend Manny Pacquiao. PacMan’s adviser, Sean Gibbons, confirmed as much to ESPN, in fact. And Romero would’ve been a perfect opponent for Pacquiao to make history given his awkward, all-action style and rather thin frame.
Of course, nothing ever came out of those negotiations. And now, Rolly Romero has claimed that the fight, which he says he didn’t really want in the first place, didn’t happen because Pacquiao priced himself out.
“Also completely unrelated and I didn’t want to fight Pacquiao out of respect for legend, nor would I have got my credit, but he kept calling me out then wastes my time because he is so broke he wouldn’t stop asking for more money,” Romero wrote on X recently.
Is Rolly Romero Delusional?
Rolly Romero’s swipe at Pacquiao seemingly came out of left field, and it doesn’t make much sense. For one, if it is true that he didn’t want to fight Pacquiao to begin with, then should he have entertained the PacMan camp’s overtures? Two, even with Pacquiao’s advancing age, a victory over him would be huge for someone like Romero, who doesn’t have even half the boxing résumé of the Filipino legend. Put simply, he’d still get plenty of credit should he beat the sport’s only eight-division world champion.
Lastly, Pacquiao, given his pedigree and popularity, would be the A-side in a match with Romero. And that’s why he deserves to ask for more money—as much as he can, in fact. Even at 47, Pacquiao is still a big draw, and a fight with him would likely net Rolly Romero a handsome payday as well.
Pacquiao, of course, has changed course and is now in line for a rematch with old tormentor Floyd Mayweather Jr. And if Rolly Romero is right about the Philippines’ fighting pride being broke, that second go-round with Money May could certainly fix the problem.
