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Teófimo López defeats Rolando Romero to capture WBA welterweight title

López secured a majority decision in Las Vegas to become a world champion in a third weight division.

The short version

  • Teófimo López won the WBA welterweight championship via a 12-round majority decision against Rolando Romero at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
  • The victory marks López's third divisional world title after previous reigns at lightweight and junior welterweight.
  • Romero publicly disputed the outcome immediately after the bout, asserting that the judges' decision was unfair.

Key facts

  • Two judges scored the 12-round bout 115-113 and 116-112 in favor of Teófimo López, while a third judge scored it a 114-114 draw.[The Guardian]
  • The win earned López the WBA welterweight belt, making him a three-division world champion.[The Guardian]
  • Compubox punch tracking recorded López landing 124 punches, including 62 jabs, compared to 73 landed punches by Rolando Romero.[The Guardian]
  • Romero opened a bleeding cut above López's right eye in the fifth round and staggered him with a left hook in the 11th round.[The Guardian]
  • Romero, who was making his first title defense, strongly objected to the scoring following the announcement of the decision.[The Guardian]

What remains uncertain

  • Neither fighter has confirmed their next opponent or whether a rematch will be pursued following the disputed decision.[The Guardian]

Sources