“The ref had to save me from myself” – Rolando Romero releases statement after title loss to Isaac Cruz, congratulates ‘Pitbull’ on achieving dream

Following his title loss to Isaac Cruz on the undercard of Tim Tszyu vs. Sebastian Fundora, Rolando Romero released a statement about the fight.

Romero (15-2) defended his WBA super lightweight title against Cruz on March 30 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Prior to this fight, the American had claimed the vacant title with a ninth-round TKO victory over Ismael Barroso. Meanwhile, Cruz (26-2-1) had recently secured a split decision win over Giovanni Cabrera the previous year.

Despite facing multiple challenges during the fight, including being wobbled by ‘Rolly’ in the opening and seventh rounds, Cruz maintained a strong performance and ultimately secured a victory via TKO in the eighth round.

Take a look at the finish below:

After his defeat, Romero took to Instagram to extend his congratulations to Cruz for securing the championship. He expressed in his statement:

”I want to congratulate Pitbull on a great fight and achieving his dream of becoming a world champion. Every time I step between the ropes I know I risk my life and my health and that in a sport of winners & losers there can only be 1 of 2 outcomes when the battle is over. I came into this fight prepared to show the world my heart and my skills and I felt like I displayed that on Saturday night.”

Additionally, Romero stated:

”I never once got knocked down, let alone knocked out, and the ref had to save me from myself because I’m fearless and got cold balls of steel and wanted to keep on fighting and putting on a show until the end. When you lose a fight usually the support starts to dry up and people stop calling to check in with you but after Saturday night I’ve received so much love and support from so many different places it’s made a huge difference in being able to cope with and accept this defeat.”

Take a look at the post below:

Rolando Romero shares his thoughts on a potential Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford showdown

After Canelo Alvarez’s dominant win against Jermell Charlo in September, speculation arose about a potential fight with Terence Crawford, who is widely considered to be the best pound-for-pound boxer in the sport.

Crawford, who became the undisputed welterweight champion in July 2023 after defeating Errol Spence Jr., has publicly expressed his eagerness for the highly anticipated fight against Alvarez.

During a recent interview with The Schmo, Rolando Romero, the former WBA super lightweight champion, shared his prediction for a potential matchup between Alvarez and Crawford.

”If Terence Crawford moves up to fight Canelo then it’s gonna be a worse fight than f**king Charlo running around. I’mma tell you straight up Canelo by mur*er against Crawford.”

Take a look at Rolando Romero’s remarks in the section below (6:33):