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Rolando “Rolly” Romero did not appreciate what he felt was a reckless move from Gervonta Davis after their weigh-in Friday afternoon in Brooklyn.
Outside of the Barclays Center, the site of their 12-round WBA “World” lightweight title bout on Saturday night, both fighters moseyed up to the center of the stage to flex for the cameras, when Davis, the 27-year-old titlist from Baltimore, gave a slight push from behind to Romero, causing Romero to fall off the stage. Davis apparently did not like how Romero was trying to upstage him by moving in front of him and flexing his muscles.
Romero, however, remained upright and immediately hopped back onto the stage, setting off a brief fracas. No one was hurt, however, and officials and members from the respective teams were quick to pull the fighters away from each other before a real tussle broke out.
Still, Romero, the 26-year-old denizen of North Las Vegas, felt it was an ill-conceived move, considering that had an injury occurred, their pay-per-view fight would have been in jeopardy, and both fighters would miss out on a lucrative paycheck.
“Motherf—– pushed me, it’s as simple as that,” Romero said of Davis on Showtime’s livestream coverage of the weigh-in. “He’s f—— scared. I’m a f—— alpha compared to him.
“He a b!tch, man. He a b!tch for that. I could’ve f—– up the fight, man. Twisted ankle and some shit and the fight’s over, no?”
Romero, however, clarified he was in no danger of getting hurt, crediting his own agileness.
“I got some crazy ass reflexes,” Romero said, before needling Davis for refusing to engage on the stage.
“And then he go run behind somebody,” Romero continued. “He scared, man. He’s scared.”
Romero (saw the gesture as not only foolhardy but also indicative of what he feels is Davis’ vulnerable state of mind.
“He’s knows I’m gonna knock him out,” Romero said. “He’s terrified of me. He’s terrified.”
Romero (14-0, 12 KOs) is the top contender for the WBA’s 135-pound title, which Davis (26-0, 24 KOs) owns. Their 12-round bout will air as the main event of a Showtime Pay-Per-View card.