--- title: "Teofimo Lopez conquers a third weight class: he becomes WBA super welterweight champion by split decision" description: "Teofimo Lopez defeated Rolando Romero by split decision in a 12-round fight in Las Vegas and won the WBA Super welterweight belt, conquering a third weight class in his career." date: 2026-08-23T08:50:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/teofimo-lopes-wba-super-welterweight-champion-rolando-romero tags: [teofimo-lopez, rolando-romero, wba, boxing, welterweight] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Teofimo Lopez conquers a third weight class: he becomes WBA super welterweight champion by split decision ![Teofimo Lopez lands a punch on Shane Porter in the WBA welterweight title fight](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/23/teofimo-lopes-champion-wba-polusredny-ves-romero/teofimo-lopes-champion-wba-polusredny-ves-romero-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Teofimo Lopez defeated Rolando Romero by split decision (114:114, 115:113, 116:112) and won the WBA Super welterweight belt. - The fight took place in the early hours of August 23 at the T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas) and lasted 12 rounds; according to Compubox, Lopez landed 124 accurate punches compared to Romero's 73. - This is the third weight class in Lopez's career after lightweight (2020) and super lightweight (2023, WBO). - Romero called the judges' verdict a "robbery"; among Lopez's future opponents are Haney, Paro and the winner of the Garcia — Benn fight. American boxer Teofimo Lopez has established himself in the welterweight division, winning the WBA Super world title in the 148 lb (66.7 kg) weight class. The fight against his compatriot Rolando Romero took place in the early hours of August 23 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (USA) and lasted all 12 scheduled rounds. The judges awarded the victory to Lopez by split decision with scores of 114:114, 115:113 and 116:112, while the live broadcast of the bout was carried by the DAZN and DAZN on Prime platforms under the hashtag #RollyTeofimo. ### Fight progression: Romero's bright start and a mid-fight turning point Romero opened the fight aggressively and delivered particularly strong performances in the fourth and fifth rounds: with a counter left hook he staggered his opponent, and a spectacular right hand landed a serious blow. However, from the sixth round onward the challenger slowed his pace, and Lopez took advantage of this lull. The champion seized the initiative, imposed a high tempo and systematically worked the body. According to the Compubox statistical service, Lopez landed 124 accurate shots compared to Romero's 73. ### Judges' decision and the reactions of both sides The outcome of the fight was decided by the judges, who awarded the victory to Lopez by split decision. After the bout, the boxer himself emphasized his fighting philosophy: "If you lose but come back — you never really lost, because you are a winner. I am a true example of what winning is. It is not about losses, but about never giving up." Romero, by contrast, expressed outrage at the verdict, calling the final result a "robbery." ### A third weight class in Lopez's career For the 29-year-old Teofimo Lopez, this victory marked the conquest of a third weight class in his career. In 2020 he defeated Vasiliy Lomachenko and became the undisputed world champion in the lightweight division, and in 2023 he added the WBO belt in the super lightweight division. Now the WBA Super welterweight title has been added to his collection. ### Contradictory data In the overwhelming majority of sources (including Sport RBC.UA, Sports.ru and Sportmail.ru), Lopez's victory is correctly described as the conquest of a third weight class in his career and the winning of the WBA Super welterweight belt. However, in the headline of a championat.com article the event is presented as "a third WBA championship title in his career." This is a discrepancy: as a matter of fact, Lopez previously held the WBA belt in the lightweight division (after his victory over Lomachenko in 2020), and in the super lightweight division his title was the WBO, so the current victory is his second, not third, WBA belt specifically. The differences in wording do not affect the actual outcome of the fight, but they require clarification when citing. ### Prospects in the new division Among the potential future opponents for Lopez in the welterweight division are WBO champion Devin Haney, IBF champion Liam Paro, as well as the winner of the September bout between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn. Thus, Lopez may be facing one of the most crowded lineups in the division ahead. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Successful debut in a new weight: Lomachenko's conqueror becomes world champion in a third weight class](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/boxing/uspishniy-debyut-noviy-vazi-krivdnik-lomachenka-1787474752.html) - Базовый текст: победа Лопеса, 12 раундов, T-Mobile Arena, счёт 114:114/115:113/116:112, статистика Compubox 124/73, цитаты сторон, карьерный контекст и будущие соперники. - [Teofimo Lopez defeated Rolando Romero by majority decision and became WBA champion](https://www.sports.ru/boxing/1117343967-teofimo-lopes-pobedil-rolando-romero.html) - Подтверждает исход боя и статус чемпиона WBA по разделённому решению. - [Teofimo Lopez defeated Rolando Romero by majority decision](https://sportmail.ru/news/boxing/72085885/) - Подтверждает разделённое судейское решение в пользу Лопеса. - [Teofimo Lopez defeated Rolando Romero and won his third WBA championship title in his career](https://www.championat.com/boxing/news-6592892-teofimo-lopes-pobedil-rolando-romero-na-boksyorskom-turnire-v-las-vegase.html) - Подтверждает победу, но в заголовке называет пояс «третьим титулом WBA», что расходится с корректной формулировкой «третья весовая категория / второй пояс WBA». ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: Who won the Lopez — Romero fight and how? **A:** Teofimo Lopez defeated Rolando Romero by split decision of the judges with scores of 114:114, 115:113 and 116:112 in a 12-round bout. ### Q: Which belt did Lopez win? **A:** He became the WBA Super world champion in the welterweight division (up to 66.7 kg), conquering a third weight class in his career. ### Q: Where and when did the fight take place? **A:** The bout took place in the early hours of August 23 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (USA). ### Q: How did the boxers react to the result? **A:** Lopez stated that "it is not about losses, but about never giving up," while Romero called the judges' verdict a "robbery." ### Q: Who could be Lopez's next opponent? **A:** Among the candidates are WBO champion Devin Haney, IBF champion Liam Paro and the winner of the September fight between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn.