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Rolly Romero Doesn't Hold Back, Slams 'Disrespectful' Canelo For Taking Crawford Fight

Originally posted on KO on SI | By Joseph Hammond | Last updated Jul 22, 2025 9:44 AM ET

Rolly Romero, the WBA welterweight champion, didn't hold back when asked his thoughts about the "superfight" between Terrence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez.

Romero had little doubt that the size differential would be too much for Crawford. The two fighters will meet on September 13, 2025, in Las Vegas, on a card broadcast on Netflix. At stake will be the undisputed 168 lbs title.

"We got to give salutes to [Terrence] Crawford, he's moving up two, three weight divisions to go fight this dude."Rolly Romero told KO On SI

The outspoken Las Vegas native didn't stop there. He took direct aim at Canelo Álvarez's pattern of cherry-picking smaller opponents.

"But, what is Canelo doing fighting a welterweight for a paycheck? Kind of disrespectful. Why doesn't he go and fight Benavidez like a real man?"Rolly Romero told KO On SI

Canelo has a history of bringing fighters from lower weight classes to fight him. In a 155 lb fight dubbed "Canelowieght" in 2016, Canelo knocked out Amir Khan in the 6th round. Khan had previously fought at welterweight.

An earlier example occurred in 2012, when Josesito Lopez scored a massive upset over Victor Ortiz in his second welterweight fight to win a title. Saul "Canelo" Álvarez offered him a title fight for the WBC junior middleweight championship. Lopez was down several times before being stopped in the 5th round.

And more recently, Canelo faced Jermell Charlo, the 154-pound champion who, like Crawford, jumped two weight classes to face Canelo in 2023. Charlo lost that lacklustre fight on the scorecards.

This article first appeared on KO on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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