Giyasov Demands WBA Title Shot, Pressuring Champion Rolly Romero

WBA 147-lb mandatory challenger Shakhram Giyasov is pushing for his title shot against welterweight champion Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero with the sanctioning body.

This move on #1 Giyasov’s part is due to Romero (17-2, 13 KOs) asking the WBA for an exception to fight again next, possibly against Manny Pacquiao in early 2026. If not Pacquiao, Devin Haney.

Both fights would be well-paying for Rolly, earning him millions. The alternative is Romero defending against his mandatory Giyasov next, and potentially losing to him.

Boxingcene reports that Giyasov’s team has written to the WBA, seeking to exercise his mandatory right to face Romero next. Giyasov (17-0, 10 KOs) has been the WBA mandatory since 2024, back when Eimantas Stanionis held the title.

Rolly, 30, captured the vacant WBA welterweight title earlier this year on May 2, 2025, defeating Ryan Garcia by a 12-round unanimous decision at Times Square. He’s been sitting on the WBA title ever since, not defending it.

The 2016 Olympian Giyasov arguably poses too much of a talent risk for Romero to satisfy his mandatory status. If he were to make the defense against Uzbekistan native Giyasov, chances are that he would lose to him. That would ruin Rolly’s chances for a big payday fight against 46-year-old Pacquiao or a unification match against newly belted WBO champion Haney.

If the WBA permits Rolly to swerve his mandatory commitment against Giyasov, it would look bad in the eyes of fans. The message would be that this isn’t a sport, it’s a popularity contest. For mandatory to mean anything, champions should be required to defend against fighters who achieve that status. If they’re allowed to be given exceptions for this or that reason, repeatedly putting off mandatory challengers, it makes a joke of the sport.

If Rolly isn’t a good enough champion to hold onto his WBA title against a defense against Giyasov, so be it. It’s survival of the fittest. He shouldn’t be allowed to artificially hold onto a title that he cannot sustain due to exceptions being given to him.