Lopez calls Romero welterweight's biggest puncher after 116-112 win

Teofimo Lopez became a three-division world champion by beating Rolando Romero by majority decision in Las Vegas, taking the WBA welterweight title. The judges scored the 12-round fight 116-112 and 115-113 for Lopez, while the third card was level at 114-114.

Lopez described Romero as the strongest puncher in the welterweight division after absorbing a heavy right hand in the fifth round. He said the shot caught him clean, cut him above the right eyebrow and forced him to refocus, but it did not stop him from continuing the fight.

Romero’s right hand produced the contest’s most dangerous moment. Lopez was badly shaken and appeared close to going down, while blood flowed from the cut near his right eye. Romero had also begun to find success with his counter left hook in the fourth round, giving the champion his best spell of the night.

Lopez recovered in the sixth and re-established control with his jab, forward movement and body punching. His activity and accuracy separated him in the early rounds, and he remained the busier boxer as Romero waited for another single punch that could change the fight.

The champion became increasingly cautious as the bout progressed. Lopez kept pressing through the final rounds, landing cleaner combinations and continuing to attack despite the cut bleeding again. Romero needed a strong closing stretch but did not take enough risks in the 12th round, allowing Lopez to finish in control.

The victory improved Lopez’s record to 23-2 with 13 knockouts and added a welterweight championship to the titles he won at lightweight and junior welterweight. Romero fell to 17-3, with 13 stoppages, after entering the contest on the back of two successive wins. Lopez’s next target is expected to be another welterweight champion as he looks towards unifying the division.