Eddie Hearn wants Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero to face Jack Catterall within 90 days instead of waiting the full 180-day deadline the WBA has given for the mandatory defense, especially after Shakhram Giyasov already spent months waiting for a title shot that never came.
Catterall (33-2, 14 KOs) captured the vacant WBA ‘regular’ welterweight title last Saturday night in Egypt with a 12-round unanimous decision over Giyasov (17-1, 10 KOs). After the fight, Hearn made it clear he wants Romero moved quickly into a fight with the newly crowned champion.
“They are two avoided guys, and they were both mandatories 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,” said Eddie Hearn last Saturday night about Catterall and Giyasov.
“They’re two avoided guys. Two of the top fighters at 140 lbs, and Jack was exceptional tonight. He started fast, he was aggressive, and now he’s got the portion of that world championship, but we want the full portion.”
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 out another six months after Giyasov already waited roughly seven months for his mandatory opportunity against Romero following the WBA’s initial order last October.
“And thank you to [WBA president] Gilberto Mendoza, who put the official order out yesterday that the winner of this fight must fight [Super champion] Rolly Romero within 180 days. Why wait 180 days? We don’t need 180 days. 90 sounds better. And thank you to Turki Alalshikh,” said Hearn.
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 fought for the secondary belt in Egypt. Hearn now wants the WBA to move quickly toward a Romero-Catterall fight rather than allowing another extended wait in the welterweight division.
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Last Updated on 2026/05/25 at 1:28 AM
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