WBA Postpones Purse Bid Following Over Romero’s Request

O’Hara-Davies will have to wait a little longer for the first title fight of his career.
It was confirmed that the WBA had delayed a previously scheduled bid-purse hearing for Davis’ mandatory title bout against defending junior welterweight champion Rolando Romero. The case was previously scheduled to take place on Monday, but has now been postponed indefinitely as the sanctioning agency will review medical documents submitted by Romero’s team on July 21.
The exact medical problem was unknown when this was posted. Neither the WBA nor representatives from either side immediately responded to Boxing Scene’s requests for comment or confirmation.
“Romero’s team has submitted a medical report which is being reviewed by members of our medical committee,” the WBA noted to all stakeholders in an email section posted by Davis’ team. “For this reason, the WBA Championships Committee has decided to postpone [the scholarship offer] until further notice.”

Romero is represented on paper by Mayweather Promotions, though TGB Promotions is his official promotion in a ninth round make-up match on May 13 against Ismael Barroso for the vacant WBA junior welterweight belt.

Davis is mentored by Lee Eaton’s Let’s Go Management. Romero from Las Vegas (15-1, 13KO) received a mandatory title defense against England’s Davis, shortly after being stopped in the ninth round against Venezuela’s Ismael Barroso.

Romero was originally scheduled to face owner Alberto Boileau (21-0, 10KOs), who was kicked out of a Showtime main event and then suspended for six months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after testing positive for clomiphene. Barroso replaced Boileau, who beat Romero in the third round and held a three-point lead after eight rounds.

The unfortunate ninth inning saw referee Tony Weeks credit Romero with a knockdown and then stopped the bout despite Barroso failing to land a single strike in the final exchange. Since Romero is not a mandatory opponent and has already won an empty title, he is now forced to honor his next big opponent to avoid being stripped of the title.

The decision led to his most coveted bout with Ryan Garcia (23-1, 19 KOs) and a rematch against Gervonta “Tank” Davis of Baltimore (29-0.27 KOs), who knocked out Romero in the sixth round of the WBA mandatory lightweight title on May 28 in Brooklyn, New York. As previously reported by Boxing Scene, Romero-Davies’ bid came after a 30-day delay with no agreement – or any progress – in the stable title war. The hearing will be open to all WBA-registered advertisers who must pay an entry fee and a minimum acceptable bid of $110,000 to qualify. Romero owes 75% of the winnings, with the remaining 25% going to Davis as a mandatory challenger.
Davis (25-2, 18KOs) is next in the WBA title chase that Romero currently owns. He got the coveted achievement by knocking out compatriot Louis Ritson in the ninth round in a title match on March 4 in Ritson’s hometown of Newcastle, England.

It was his seventh consecutive win since a decisive twelfth round loss to undefeated compatriot Jack Catherall in an October 2018 bout. Davis’ only undefeated loss was to Josh Taylor in the seventh round match in July 2017.
Although the Streaks contestants refused to opt out for the eligibility date, they weren’t entirely satisfied with the long wait. “@SignUp4KOs you p-ssy,” Davies shouted on social media. “Trying to fake an injury, the real reason is because your grandfather @LEerbe [Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather Promotions] knows for a fact that I’m going to fire you. Stop p-ssiing and develop a bunch of b-locks and fight me.

Another referee is now required by the WBA to examine the medical records submitted on Romero’s behalf, which could cause a pre-match delay for an interception hearing. The minimum acceptable bid—if Romero-Davies is still intact and competing in a WBA-approved auction—is $110,000, with Romero bidding 75% as owner.