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Amateur star Marco Romero wastes no time, turns professional for a month after winning the National Golden Gloves

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Marco Romero punches during one of his amateur competitions. Photo: Sergio Segura

Marco Romero didn’t have much time to celebrate after crossing off the last item on his amateur boxing bucket list. Two days after winning the 2024 National Golden Gloves title on May 18 at 165 pounds, Romero returned to training for his professional debut.

Returning to the gym after a grueling tournament in which the 18-year-old fought five times in six days, during which he missed his high school graduation and had to receive his diploma in a special ceremony, is no compact feat. . But with his professional debut scheduled for Saturday, June 15 at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, Maine, there was no time to waste.

Romero will face veteran MMA boxer-turned-boxer Jonathan Gary (2-1) in a four-round super middleweight bout. It’s a relatively modest debut for a decorated national champion, but Romero says his father, Salvador Romero, helped him put it all into perspective.

“We came home and, as my dad says, you just have to look back at everything. From where I got to the amateurs, now I’m starting in the pros,” said Romero, who is from Olathe, Kansas, a Kansas City suburb of about 140,000 people.

“I just want to be as successful as I was in amateur competitions. That’s why we immediately started working quickly.”

Romero will probably find it easier to list the amateur tournaments he didn’t win than the ones he did win. In a career that began at the age of seven, Romero won the Junior Olympics three times, the National Silver Gloves six times, the U.S. National Qualifier five times and the U.S. Championship four times, the last of which was his first at the elite level

He has fought approximately 135 bouts, losing just five times, with his last defeat coming via split decision in the final of the 2019 National Junior Olympic Games. An amateur of his caliber would normally play for the U.S. national boxing team, travel the world and pursue a spot in the Olympics, but circumstances were up to him independent conditions prevented him from participating in international competitions.

Romero made the U.S. national team in March 2020 and was scheduled to travel to Bulgaria for the Emil Jechev Tournament, but the tournament was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Moreover, his competing weight of 165 pounds was eliminated from Olympic competition. At 5-foot-7, Romero said he was too substantial for the 156-pound weight class and too compact for the 176-pound weight class.

In addition, the minimum age for Olympic boxers was raised from 18 to 19, meaning Romero was simply not destined to compete in Paris.

“My first dream was to go to the Olympics and bring home a gold medal, but unfortunately 165 was not a qualifying weight class. When I found out about it, my dream was to become a professional. I’ve always said my biggest dream was to bring the World Series back to Kansas. Kansas isn’t really a boxing state, so my thing is to bring the world championships back to Kansas and inspire all the other kids in Kansas to keep boxing and put boxing on the map. So that one day Kansas can be seen as one of the boxing states,” said Romero, a Mexican-American whose father is from the Mexican state of Michoacán and whose mother Sendy is from Guanajuato.

Boxing, however, was not Romero’s first passion. At the age of six, he started playing soccer in recreational leagues, while his two-year-old brother pestered his father to take him to a boxing gym. Shortly thereafter, the two switched roles, and the brother now plays high school football.

For the past eight years, Romero has trained under John Brown, a nearly 60-year veteran of the boxing industry who is also his manager. Brown also trained former heavyweight contender Tommy Morrison at the peak of his career from 1988 to 1993 and guided Cam F. Awesome to international amateur success. Finding a sparring match is hard, considering Kansas is not a boxing hotbed and few boxers are willing to pay the expense of traveling there to spar.

Romero with his National Golden Gloves title belt and Golden Boy award as player of the tournament. Photo: Sendy Romero

Romero did get a good job at the gym before the National Golden Gloves when he joined up with Eric Priest, a middleweight prospect from Golden Boy Promotions who came from his Kansas gym during training camp in Los Angeles. Romero admits he will have to travel more to be able to work more sparring sessions.

Priest (13-0, 8 knockouts) says he has known Romero since Romero was nine years ancient and says what makes him a special fighter is his work ethic and grounded, humble mindset.

“He comes from a great family, has great morals and values. I can vouch for him both as a person and as a boxer. He really is a combination of a demanding puncher and a good boxer,” Priest said.

“Marco is swift, has great head movement and is very mature in his overall movement in the ring. Solid combinations. Marco fights to win, he understands that this is a hurting business.

Romero compares his style to that of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, although he also cites fellow Kansas natives-turned-boxing stars Victor Ortiz and Brandon Rios as role models growing up.

“I would describe myself as a pressure fighter who steps forward but is knowledgeable. I like to break people down, put forward pressure, hit the body, hit demanding punches, but I’m also good with my head movement and footwork,” Romero said.

Romero already has his second fight scheduled for July 26 in Atlantic City and says he plans to drop down to 154 pounds. He believes he will be able to boost his record to 5-0 before the end of the year and then test the substantial boxing markets.

“It’s all becoming surreal to me. “Hopefully next year I’ll sign with a good promotion like Top Rank, Golden Boy, Matchroom or something like that,” Romero said.

***

Saturday’s gala is promoted by Banner Promotions Arta Pelullo and Bobby Russo, owner of the Portland Boxing Club and national president of the Golden Gloves of America. The main hero of the gala will be bantamweight contender Dylan Price (18-0, 12 KO) in a ten-round fight with Ernesto Irias (15-9-1, 9 KO) and Kendrick Ball Jr. (22-1-) lightweight heavyweight 3, 13 KO) against Britton Norwood (13-5-1, 10 KO) in a ten-round fight and the professional debut of local favorite and last year’s Fresh England Golden Gloves champion Wade Faria in a four-round fight in the middleweight division.

The event will be the first boxing show at the Cross Insurance Arena since 1994, when Joey Gamache defended his WBA lightweight title against Orzubek Nazarov, when the facility was known as the Cumberland County Civic Center.

Tickets range from $35 to $153 and the event starts at 6:30 p.m

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Boxing

Devin Haney’s Lawsuit Against Ryan Garcia ‘Deadly Full of Holes’

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Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney

Devin Haney’s plan to sue Ryan Garcia for millions of dollars has a fatal flaw as the boxer’s reputation takes another beating on social media.

“The Dream” initiated legal action against Garcia, even though his only loss was ruled a no-contest. The WBC super lightweight champion wants monetary compensation for being beaten by the Golden Boy star.

Haney’s father, Bill, told the world that “Suits are part of business. Welcome to boxing and the Devin Haney era. Many fans responded that the action was extreme, even though Garcia failed drug tests.

Many believe that a year’s punishment and stripping of the victory is enough, but the Haneys do not. However, there is a consensus that the pursuit of extra cash is “deadly flawed.”

The main weakness of this case is the fact that Bill told Garcia that they were coming to “kill” him, which is a clear sign that “Kingry” may start his own legal process.

In response to the video reminding Bill of his words, Garcia replied, “I have no choice but to sue him.”

Promoter Eddie Hearn, who once represented Haney until the falling out, says Garcia’s actions could have huge consequences.

“This could be a really pivotal moment for boxing because in the past people have asked when a fighter fails a drug test and there’s a fight, ‘Should there be legal or police action against this fighter?’

“If Haney wins this case, I think it will really start to discourage players from using PEDs. When Ryan Garcia gets a one-year ban, it’s not a problem. A few months break and you’re back in camp. But if you lose tens of millions of dollars, it takes on a different meaning,” Hearn told Charlie Parsons.

In reference to Haney’s attempt to profit from the loss, Garcia responded to Hearn’s comments by saying, “Any expert understands that I have never knowingly taken PEDs. It seems you and the Haneys have underestimated me so much that you can’t recover from a fight, and neither can the Haneys. And now, looking at what happened, it seems like both of you can’t win [after Anthony Joshua lost].

Garcia added: “If Devin needs money that badly, I have a sponsor for him. This is a fresh type of tampon created especially for men.”

The fan also reminded the Haneys of their promise to murder in the lead-up. He asked, “Didn’t Bill Haney say they were sending Devin Haney to kill Ryan Garcia? Did he really want Ryan to die in the ring? Now Haney’s team says they could have died. Wanting to file a lawsuit is absolute bullshit.

Part of the lawsuit says Haney accuses Garcia of battery. However, the fact that Bill could stop the “battery at any time” could have backfired on him.

Garcia concluded: “I asked you, Bill, to stop the fight, but you allowed the battery to continue. You wanted this beating to match,” said the suspended super lightweight.

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Vuong benefits significantly from the weakening of Edwards-Yafai

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ONE of the biggest British fights of the year is a stern step up for a potential lightweight contender on the card.

Cameron Vuong (6-0 (3 KO)) will fight former British and European lightweight champion Gavin Gwynne over 10 rounds on November 30 as part of the Clear Edwards-Galal Yafai main event at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham.

Vuong, trained by Jamie Moore, entered action on September 18, defeating Joe Underwood Hughes. However, the 22-year-old asked to be moved to tougher fights and is now getting his wish against Welshman Gwynne.

Just 10 months ago, Gwynne won the EBU belt by defeating veteran Emiliano Marsili, who retired in the eighth round with a shoulder injury. Gwynne vacated the belt and moved on to fight in Riyad, Saudi Arabia against the highly touted Mark Chamberlain. The less experienced Chamberlain proved too powerful for Gwynne and stopped his fighter in the fourth round. Vuong vs. Gwynne could be intelligent matchmaking or a step too early for Vuong.

Walker looks set to get back to winning ways against Lewis Ritson (Photo: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

Elsewhere on the November 30 event, Conah Walker will face welterweight Lewis Ritson over 10 rounds. Walker felt tired after a points defeat to Lewis Crocker in June and will look to regain the momentum he gained after back-to-back wins over Cyrus Pattinson and Lloyd Germain.

For Ritson, once nicknamed “Geordie Golovkin,” winning is crucial. Although Ritson was only 31, he had lost his last two fights to Ohara Davies and Paddy Donovan, and a fifth career defeat could spell the end of the road for the former British lightweight champion.

Super flyweight prospect Hamza Uddin makes his third appearance in the professional rankings against former Midlands Area flyweight champion Benn Norman. Coventry’s Aaron Bowen will be looking to move to 4-0 against his yet-to-be-announced opponent.

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Boxing

Tsotne Rogova wins The Heartbeat of LA Boxing series and wins the WBC title

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Toro Promotions, Inc. launched its up-to-date boxing competition series, “The Heartbeat of LA Boxing,” last night at Pacific Palms Resort, which has been a huge success. The undefeated Tsotne “Mr. T” Rogova (10-0, 7 KO) won the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) United States heavyweight title, headlining an event that featured six professional debutants, including the renowned Walnut (California) High School student. Paolo “Pow” Barredo.

“This was definitely Southern California boxing at its best,” Toro promoter Azat Torosyan said after the fights. “You have to see a lot of shows to find a good one like tonight.”

In the co-main event, Rogova faced a tough challenge from Alexander “The Great” Flores (19-5-1, 17 KOs) before winning a 10-round unanimous decision in an action-packed bout. Rogova, a 2020 Ukrainian Olympian, dominated early after a second-round knockdown of Flores, who rebounded in the middle round before Rogova regained control.

Barredo, who celebrated his 18th birthday last week, faced featherweight Mychaquell “Myche” Shields (2-6), defeating him in the third round and earning a fourth-round stoppage. Barredo, the 2021 Junior Olympic champion, impressed in his professional debut.

Another great debut was made by Alexandro “El Capitan” Alvarado (1-0, 1 KO) of La Puente, who defeated Eduardo Mondragon “El Azteca” Lopez in the lightweight category. Alvarado, the 2021 California State Silver Gloves silver medalist, showed his potential after a third-round stoppage.

Other results included junior welterweight Sonny “The Bear” Robledo (10-0, 3 KO) maintaining his undefeated record with a six-round unanimous decision victory over Matt Gaver (3-10-2, 1 KO) and Hector Oros ( 1-0) rebounded from an early knockdown to defeat Alexander Robles (0-1) in a nearly four-round unanimous decision in the junior bantamweight division.

Riverside’s Oscar Trujillo Enriquez (1-0, 1 KO) made a memorable professional debut, defeating Jesse “Suavecito” Zuniga (0-1) in the second round with a devastating body shot. The action-packed evening ended with Santa Ana’s Michael “Chamuco” Bracamontes (10-2-1, 5 KO) narrowly defeating Los Angeles’ Arsen Poghosyan (3-3-1, 2 KO) by majority decision in a competitive junior weight bout featherlight .

The gala began with Mongolian flyweight champion Enkhmandakh “Machine Gun Magi” Khurkuu (4-0, 1 KO) defeating Richard Morales (1-8, 0 KO) from Westminster, Colorado, in the first round.

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