Rolly Romero is never short on words, and when something gets under his skin, fans hear about it. The Cuban-American welterweight recently took to social media to explain a moment from training camp that has people talking: a sparring session that ended with a partner flat on the ground.
According to Romero, the situation built up over multiple sessions. He was fresh into camp, early in his conditioning work, when his team brought in outside sparring help. From the start, the dynamic felt off.
“He’s jumping around acting like a clown,” Romero recalled. “I’m just trying to get my work in. It’s my first week of camp, I’m starting getting in shape.”
He let the early sessions slide. By the next round of sparring, though, Romero had settled in and was finding his rhythm. “I got his timing now,” he said. “I’m cracking, I’m starting to land whatever I want at him.”
That’s when things shifted. Rather than competing cleanly, the sparring partner reportedly resorted to low blows and punches to the back of the head. Romero says he initially brushed it off as part of the rough-and-tumble nature of boxing training.
What followed, however, was harder to ignore. The partner launched himself upward and connected with a headshot.
Romero then spinned him around and bodyslammed him in the ground. He said, “I’m like, boom, right on the ground. You could just see my brain, literally, he’s processed for like two seconds. Like, pop, pop, boom.”
Romero made clear that his frustration was rooted in respect, or the lack of it. “When you’re getting paid for work, you don’t do that to a champion,” he said. “It’s not just extremely disrespectful.”
You can take the fighter out of judo, but you can’t take the judo out of the fighter. 🥋🥊#RollyTeofimo | Aug. 22 | PBC PPV pic.twitter.com/ft9Ovt4bbw
— Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) August 5, 2026
