Rollie Romero (14-1, 12 KOs) and Ismael Barroso (24-3-2, 22 KOs) went through the official weigh-in procedure on the eve of their Saturday match at the Cosmopolitan Arena in Las Vegas. The weight of a 28-year-old American and a 40-year-old boxer from Venezuela was the same and amounted to 63.2 kg. This will be Romero's first super lightweight bout and the vacant WBA world title is on the line.
Romero was originally scheduled to face Alberto Puello, for whom it was supposed to be his first title defense, but Puello tested positive for clomiphene last month and was pulled from the fight.
Barroso, the WBA mandatory challenger, replaced Puello, who has since become a "retired" WBA champion. If Puello's B test, submitted to the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association, is positive for clomiphene, the WBA is expected to strip the Dominican southpaw of the championship.
Barroso was already in training when he received an offer to replace Puello, because he was supposed to fight on the undercard of the evening.
Photo by Esther Lin.
