Rolando Romero is sticking to his word of making it a quick night in his biggest fight to date.

A bitter grudge match lies ahead for Las Vegas’ Romero, the mandatory challenger to secondary WBA lightweight titlist Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis. The two will finally meet atop a May 28 Showtime Pay-Per-View event from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The fight has been roughly four years in the making, though Romero plans to make up for lost time once they are in the ring.

“One round,” Romero bluntly stated during an open media workout Tuesday afternoon at Mayweather Boxing Gym, repeating a prior prediction of knocking out Davis in the first round. “If I say I’mma do it, I’mma do it.

“He’s gonna knocked out from the first punch that hits him.”

When pressed by Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) host Ray Flores to qualify the prediction, Romero (14-0, 12KOs) suggested that Baltimore’s Davis (26-0, 24KOs) lacks the defensive prowess to avoid the inevitable.

“Tell me a fight he don’t get punched on, by smaller dudes who don’t have no power, no nothing,” insisted Romero. “Tell me a fight. I’m way more accurate than everyone else he’s ever fought. I’m way more explosive, way stronger, way bigger than everyone else. It’s just common sense.”

Romero has served as the mandatory challenger to Davis’ version of the lightweight title since August 2020, when he claimed the now defunct interim WBA lightweight belt in a twelve-round decision over Jackson Ramirez. Two fights have followed for Romero, both involving opponents who badly missed weight. Romero scored a seventh-round stoppage of Avery Sparrow, replacing an over-the-limit Justin Pauldo last January in Uncasville, Connecticut.

In his most recent start, Romero faced former title challenger Anthony Yigit who missed weight by five pounds ahead of their July 17 Showtime-televised bout in San Antonio. Romero went through with the fight, scoring three knockdowns en route to a seventh-round knockout before being named the mandatory challenger for Davis.

The fight between the unbeaten lightweights was due to take place last December 5 in Los Angeles. Romero was pulled from the show roughly five weeks’ out due to serving as the target of a sexual assault investigation, having professed his innocence, and eventually clearing his name but only after he was replaced by Isaac Cruz whom Davis outpointed over twelve rounds.

Romero wasn’t impressed with Davis that night, or any other in his career.

“He got his ass beat and showed that he’s extremely vulnerable,” Romero claimed in summarizing Davis’ 16-fight knockout streak coming to a close. “He’s scared of people that can crack.”

Romero has stopped eight of his last nine opponents and has five career first-round knockouts.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox