Lopez beats Romero to win WBA welterweight title

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - AUGUST 22: Teofimo Lopez looks on during his WBA Welterweight World Championship fight against Rolando Romero at T-Mobile Arena on August 22, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Cris Esqueda / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Teofimo Lopez is once again a world champion.

Lopez defeated Rolly Romero via majority decision (114-114, 115-113, 116-112) to win the WBA welterweight title Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The victory gives Lopez a championship in a third division after he previously held titles at lightweight and junior welterweight.

The 29-year-old New York native landed a career-high 62 jabs en route to a decisive victory over Romero.

He faced adversity in the fifth round, when Romero nearly dropped him with a right hand and turned his face into a bloody mess. But outside of that round, it appeared to be largely one-way traffic for Lopez despite the narrow scorecards.

Lopez rebounded from a unanimous decision loss to Shakur Stevenson in January in which he dropped the WBO junior welterweight belt. He lifted his professional record to 23-2.

Romero stepped into the ring for the first time since May 2025, when he claimed the vacant WBA welterweight title with an upset win against Ryan Garcia. The 30-year-old Las Vegas native is 3-3 in his last six outings and fell to 17-3 as a pro. Romero is also a former junior welterweight and interim lightweight champion.

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