Eddie Hearn wants Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero to face Jack Catterall within 90 days instead of waiting the full 180-day deadline given by the WBA for the mandatory defence, especially after Shakhram Giyasov already waited months for a title shot that never came.
Catterall (33-2, 14 KOs) captured the vacant WBA ‘ordinary’ welterweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Giyasov (17-1, 10 KOs) last Saturday night in Egypt. After the fight, Hearn made it clear that he wants Romero to move quickly into a fight with the newly crowned champion.
“They’re two shunned guys, and they were both mandatory with governing bodies. Jack was mandatory with the WBO. Shakhram was the mandatory for the WBA. And they decided to just roll the dice, and they deserve all the credit and respect for that,” Eddie Hearn said of Catterall and Giyasov last Saturday night.
“They’re two shunned guys. Two of the top fighters at 140 pounds, and Jack was exceptional tonight. He started fast, he was aggressive, and now he has the part of that world championship, but we want the full part.”
The WBA officially ordered Romero to defend against the winner of the Catterall-Giyasov fight within 180 days. Hearn believes there is no reason for the process to drag on for another six months after Giyasov has already waited around seven months for his mandatory opportunity against Romero following the WBA’s initial order last October.
“And thanks to (WBA president) Gilberto Mendoza, who gave the official order yesterday that the winner of this fight (super champion) Rolly Romero must fight within 180 days. Why wait 180 days? We don’t need 180 days. 90 sounds better. And thanks to Turki Alalshikh,” Hearn said.
Romero has not fought since May 2, 2025 when he defeated Ryan Garcia in Times Square. Despite the inactivity, the WBA elevated him to ‘Super’ champion status while Catterall and Giyasov battled for the secondary belt in Egypt. Hearn now wants the WBA to move quickly to a Romero-Catterall fight rather than allow another extended wait in the welterweight division.
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Last updated on 2026/05/25 at 01:28
