VAN NUYS, Calif. — It’s great to be Rolando Romero these days.
Over the weekend, he rolled into town from Miami and into the Super King grocery store in Los Angeles for a liquor brand-sponsored meet and greet and bottle signing for fans. The affable Romero was joined by comedian Arman “Antic” Margarian for the Good Money Whisky and Le Bon Argent event and got to show his quirky side.
Romero (17-2, 13 KOs) realizes and relishes that his stock is at an all-time high following a unanimous decision win against Ryan Garcia last month headlining a Ring card in New York, and he’s seizing every opportunity that comes his way.

“I went in there as a massive underdog and shocked the world. It was destiny, and I called it years ago,” Romero told The Ring. “Everyone knew who I was already, but the win just made me bigger. I have a lot of options now. I don’t know right now who I’ll be fighting next, but I’m a pay-per-view star — a PPV star always has the cards in their hands. It’s time to headline another one.”

The big stage is nothing new for the Las Vegas born and bred Romero. But he’d come up short previous times under the bright lights. Romero was knocked out by Gervonta Davis to headline a May 2022 pay-per-view and was stopped in eight rounds by Isaac Cruz in March 2024 during a PPV co-main event, losing his 140-pound title.

Romero rebounded with a decision win against Manuel Jaimes in September on the Canelo Alvarez-Edgar Berlanga PPV undercard. Garcia and his team perceived Romero’s ho-hum performance for him to be the perfect precursor to a Devin Haney rematch, but he poured gasoline and lit a match to those plans.

By beating Garcia, Romero was rewarded with a secondary version of the WBA welterweight title. And with unified champion Jaron Ennis set to move up to 154 pounds, it appears Romero will be elevated by the WBA as its full titleholder.

Romero said he’s ready for the biggest bouts possible, a “legacy fight” against Manny Pacquiao included. But he isn’t in a real rush to get back in the ring.

“I am taking some time off right now and focusing on getting closer to Jesus and finishing reading the Bible,” said Romero. “God saved me. God told me exactly how it was going to play out, and what was going to happen minutes before the fight. That’s why I have surrendered myself to the Lord. You have to keep God first.”

In addition to pursuing a spiritual path following a fight against mental health issues, Romero is also showing his sophisticated side by studying to pass the Securities Industry Essentials exams.
Acing the test would allow Romero to qualify and pursue a career in the financial services industry.

With big-money matchups looming on the horizon and opportunities abound, Romero setting up the second act of his career could prove to be perfectly timed, just like the left hook that dropped Garcia and changed the course of his career.

Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan