Romero's call-out comes on the heels of his career-best performance. He beat Ryan Garcia at the start of the month to claim his 147-pound title. Now, he's set his sights on a much bigger target.
In an interview with Fight Hub TV, Romero didn't mince words about his intentions.
"I wanna whoop David Benavidez's ass. Look I'm gonna be the first one to ever call this person out, I wanna fight Benavidez. Mexican monster? They call me the boogeyman over here. I'll go to 168. I wanna fight the Mexican monster."
Benavidez, known as 'The Monster', has been tearing through the super-middleweight and light-heavyweight divisions since he turned pro in 2013. He's won the WBC super-middleweight title twice and recently got the nod as WBC champion at light-heavyweight after Dmitry Bivol gave up the belt.
The 28-year-old from Phoenix, Arizona, has racked up an impressive 30-0 record. His most recent fight saw him outpoint David Morrell on February 1 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. This bout marked his second appearance at 175 pounds, following his move up from 168 last June when he beat Oleksandr Gvozdyk for the WBC 'Interim' light-heavyweight title.
Benavidez's unanimous decision victory over Morrell solidified his status in the 175-pound division. He's made it clear he doesn't plan to move back down in weight.
This makes Romero's challenge a long shot at best. The weight difference between the two fighters is significant. Romero has just moved up to 147 pounds, while Benavidez campaigns at 175. Even Romero's offer to meet at 168 pounds seems unlikely to tempt Benavidez away from his current weight class.
Despite the odds, Romero seems determined to make his mark. He's dubbed himself "the boogeyman" and claims he'll be the first to defeat Benavidez. Whether this dream match-up ever comes to fruition remains to be seen, but Romero's boldness has certainly got people talking.