Dan Rafael reports that the excellent super bantamweight clash between former unified champion Daniel Roman and unbeaten Ra’eese Aleem, first revealed in June, is a “done deal” and will take place on Showtime’s September 11th Stephen Fulton vs. Brandon Figueroa card.
Both Roman (29-3-1, 10 KO) and Aleem (18-0, 12 KO) are among the cream of the crop at 122 pounds; “The Baby-Faced Assassin” enjoyed a lengthy reign as WBA champ, beat TJ Doheny for the IBF belt, and has beaten Juan Carlos Payano and Ricardo Espinoza since a narrow split decision loss to arguable division kingpin Murodjon Akhmadaliev. That defeat marked his only setback since 2013.
“The Beast,” on the other hand, has knocked out seven straight, among them fellow prospect Vic Pasillas. While Roman unquestionably represents a step up in class, it’s hard to argue that Aleem hasn’t earned the right to test himself against him.
It’s unclear what, if any, specific title implications the fight will have. Roman’s ranked #1 by the WBC, #3 by the WBA, #6 by the IBF, and #2 by the WBO, while Aleem holds the entirely worthless WBA “interim” title. Whatever happens, we can probably expect the winner to be on the shortlist to fight either Fulton or Figueroa.