Rolando Romero has been elevated to the title of super champion by the WBA, but he must fight in order to retain his title.

“Rolly” won the Regular title following a victory over Ryan Garcia in February 2025. His promotion to full champion came after Jaron Ennis was fired and a weight raise was made.

Romero, despite being linked to Devin Haney, Conor Benn and even Manny Pacquiao, has since been inactive. Today, WBA made the decision to further raise it to a higher level.

“The World Boxing Association (WBA) has officially named Rolando “Rolly” Romero as world super champion. As part of the ruling, the WBA also approved a fight for the vacant welterweight world title between top contender Shakhram Giyasov and No. 6 contender Jack Catterall. The fight will take place this Saturday, May 23, 2026, in the Giza Pyramids in Egypt.

“The decision was made by the WBA Championship Committee at the formal request of Romero’s team and after reviewing his career as a three-division WBA champion.”

Super champions are rewarded, according to the commission’s guidelines, “in exceptional circumstances and in the best interests of the sport.”

Despite orders and orders, the situation remains largely unchanged. Jack Catterall and Shakhram Giyasov already fought for the WBA Regular title this weekend, and given the sanctioning body’s goal of reducing the number of champions in each division to one, they would have to face Romero regardless of these modern nominations.

However, it has been confirmed that ‘Rolly’ must face the winner within 180 days.

“The sanctioning authority also determined that Romero must face the winner of the Giyasov vs. Catterall bout within a maximum of 180 days from the date of the fight.”

While “super champion” status has rarely been popular with fans, the ruling gives Catterall and Giyasov the chance to leave Egypt with a recognized world title.

Terence Crawford insists he has successfully retired, but his decision to fly to Egypt for Saturday’s Oleksandr Usyk-Rico Verhoeven fight continues to fuel doubts about whether the former four-division world champion is truly done with boxing.

Crawford appeared during the week’s pre-card fight at Pyramids and once again reiterated that he had “nothing to prove” when returning to the ring. Nevertheless, his presence at the season’s highlights in Riyad continues to fuel speculation about a return.

“I have nothing to prove. I have nothing to gain,” Crawford said when asked about returning to boxing in an interview with Ring Magazine.

“So you know, I’m happily retired.”

Crawford also explained why he thinks it’s crucial for fighters to step away from fighting while still able to compete at a high level.

“Don’t give them everything,” Crawford said. “Come out with something, you know, that way you’ll have it for something else later. I’m content with my decision.”

Despite these comments, Crawford’s continued visibility at Turki Alalshikh’s biggest boxing events keeps fans skeptical as to whether he is actually done. Crawford traveled to Egypt for the week of the Usyk-Verhoeven fight and spent time with Usyk during Thursday’s post-fight news conference.

Crawford praised Usyk and predicted that the unified heavyweight champion would ultimately defeat Verhoeven on Saturday night.

“I think Rico will be hard at first,” Crawford said. “But I think Usyk, with his experience, will solve it quite early.”

Crawford also deflected questions about a possible fight with Jaron “Boots” Ennis when the topic came up at the end of the interview.

“I don’t want to talk about it, man.” Crawford said.

Turki Alalshikh has repeatedly stated publicly that he wants Crawford to return for another major fight, although Crawford continues to insist that he remains retired.

Robert Segal is a boxing reporter at Boxing News 24 with over a decade of experience covering fight news, previews and analysis. Known for his first-hand reporting and in-ring perspective, he delivers authoritative coverage of champions, challengers and emerging talent from around the world.

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Last updated: 21/05/2026 at 21:16

Former world champion Andre Berto, who fought Floyd Mayweather in 2015, presented his prediction for the American’s rematch with Manny Pacquiao.

Both of the best of all time will face each other in the professional ring on September 25over a decade since Mayweather won a unanimous decision in their first meeting.

At the time, “Money” was performing brilliantly against “Pac Man,” who later claimed to have injured his shoulder during training camp.

In any case, their bout was widely criticized for coming too slow in their careers, even though it became the most lucrative boxing event of all time.

Therefore, similar frustration has been expressed regarding their rematch, as Mayweather and Pacquiao have reached the ages of 49 and 47, respectively.

However, since Mayweather has agreed to put his 50-0 record on the line, his decision to retire comes with some risks.

The five-division world champion hasn’t fought professionally since 2017, when he suffered a one-sided 10th-round finish over UFC star Conor McGregor.

This followed his unanimous victory over Berto in 2015, and Mayweather’s former foe was expected to overtake Pacquiao again later this year.

Berto revealed his predictions in an interview with TMZwhile confirming the fact that both fighters’ best form is long behind them.

“I think that’s the only one [factor] this will make this fight really intriguing – [Mayweather] putting his record on the line.

“At the end of the day, Pacquiao is older [and] Floyd is older, so you can’t expect anything crazy.

“[But] I think Floyd could do the same [winning on points]. He’s a little older, but he still has that experience and knowledge.

Although Mayweather won his first fight in comprehensive fashion, his inactivity could be a telling factor against Pacquiao, who went to a 12-round draw with Mario Barrios last July.