Tim Bradley doesn’t believe a fighter is completely out of it. On paper, things may not look particularly good, but Bradley is always willing to at least give someone a shot. Yet, when it comes to Rolando “Rolly” Romero and his chances against Ryan Garcia on May 2nd, this might be the first time that Bradley gave a fighter no chance at all.
“That would be shocking as hell if Rolly pulled off the upset but I think Rolly is damaged goods,” explained Bradley to FightHub TV during a recent interview. “If you look at his last couple of fights, he hasn’t been the same.”
It’s been a while since Romero looked like the brazenly pugnacious fighter who stomped on the competition. Although he did pick up the win against Manuel Jaimes in his last ring appearance, he never came close to getting his man out of there. The way Bradley sees it, when Romero eventually stands across from Garcia, he’ll need to be his old self. Those days, however, might be long gone.
Bradley never thought incredibly highly of Romero but he respected his punching power and willingness to throw bombs with no fear. But something happened.
Back in 2022, Romero (16-2, 13 KOs) talked his way into a showdown against Gervonta Davis. He spoke like a man with all of the confidence in the world. And, in those first few rounds, he fought like one too. Davis, like he normally does, got rid of his man with just one shot. And while on paper, it was just one loss, Bradley believes it was much more than that.
“He hasn’t been the same since he got knocked out by Gervonta Davis. He hasn't been the same. Sometimes, one fight can ruin your entire career. He’s not the same mentally, he’s not the same physically.”