Ismael Barroso was understandably furious after being stopped in the ninth round on Saturday night by Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero in their battle for the vacant WBA light welterweight title in Las Vegas.
Barroso (24-4-2, 22 KOs) says he wants an immediate rematch with Rolly (15-1, 13 KO) because he does NOT agree with the decision the referee Tony Weeks, made when suddenly, out of the blue, decided to halt the fight in the ninth, giving Rolando the victory.
Weeks had already seemed like he didn’t see things clearly, as he gave Rolly credit for a knockdown in the ninth in what was a push.
How Weeks could miss that is difficult to know because the boxing fans watching the Showtime telecast saw Rolly push Barroso to the canvas.
Barroso wants rematch
“The main thing is that I wanted to be aggressive, and as the fight wore on and I saw that Romero wasn’t landing any punches, I felt, ‘Okay, let’s land blow by blow,'” said Ismael Barroso to the media after the fight. “I was emboldened by how the fight was going.
“I initially thought he had more power than he did. I’ve fought more stronger fighters than him. I felt I was winning every single round, and I felt really good, but then again, it’s the referee that has the power to make that kind of decision.
“I hope to get the rematch and show what I’m worth again. I felt it was unfair. I wasn’t feeling any of Rolly’s punches. In fact, in round nine, not only did I feel in good spirits, but I felt I was getting faster. So it [the premature stoppage] caught me by surprise.
“He’s an experienced referee, someone that I know. So it really surprised me when he stopped the fight. I was feeling strong. I was in a good place. So mentality-wise, I had nothing to complain about,” said Barroso.
“This dude, he’s got cement in his hands. He can crack,” said Rolly Romero to the boxing media about his fight against Ismael Barroso. “It was like ‘Boom,’ with every punch. You could feel everything in it.
“He punches a million times [harder than Gervonta Davis]. He punches hard,” Rolly said.
From how Rolly talked after the fight, he had no intention of giving Barroso a rematch. Indeed, Rolly made it clear that he’s moving on and wants Ryaan Garcia next.
