Following multiple sexual assault accusations against Rolando “Rolly” Romero and Showtime’s Stephen Espinoza saying they were taking the “disturbing allegations” seriously, it appears now that Romero will not be fighting Gervonta Davis on Dec. 5.
Chris Mannix reports that Premier Boxing Champions and Showtime — who will air the event on pay-per-view, or at least that was the original plan — are looking for a replacement opponent to face Davis:
PBC, Showtime are actively looking for opponents to replace Rolando Romero on December 5th, sources tell @SInow. Romero, an undefeated lightweight contender, has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) October 30, 2021
Just to note, Romero has not updated social media since the allegations went out.
It’s anyone’s guess as to who might get the call to face Davis (25-0, 24 KO) now on Dec. 5, or if he’ll even be able to keep that date. In theory there’s enough time to get a new opponent, but even considering Davis is the one selling the pay-per-view and not the B-side, it’s going to be a tough ask to get someone of PPV quality. They could move the card to regular Showtime, but Davis and Mayweather Promotions seem dead set on “Tank” being a PPV exclusive fighter from now on, too.
One possible name would be Isaac Cruz (22-1-1, 15 KO), a wild card option might be featherweight titlist Gary Russell Jr (31-1, 18 KO), who likely wouldn’t take the fight for December but might be willing to do it in mid-January or February. Russell has stated a willingness to move up in weight to fight Davis.