"The ref had to save me from myself" - Rolando Romero releases statement after title loss to Isaac Cruz, congratulates 'Pitbull' on achieving dream

Rolando Romero issued a post-fight statement following his title defeat to Isaac Cruz in their bout on the undercard of Tim Tszyu vs. Sebastian Fundora.

Romero (15-2) squared off against Cruz to make the first defense of his WBA super lightweight title on March 30 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The American was coming off a ninth-round TKO win against Ismael Barroso to capture the vacant WBA Super Lightweight title. Meanwhile, Cruz (26-2-1) was coming off a split decision victory over Giovanni Cabrera, last year.

Cruz wobbled 'Rolly' multiple times during the fight, especially in the opening and seventh rounds. He put up a strong performance and prevailed via TKO in the eighth round.

Check out the finish below:

Following his defeat, Romero released a statement on Instagram congratulating Cruz on capturing the championship. He wrote:

''I want to congratulate Pitbull on a great fight and achieving his dream of becoming a world champion. Every time I step between the ropes I know I risk my life and my health and that in a sport of winners & losers there can only be 1 of 2 outcomes when the battle is over. I came into this fight prepared to show the world my heart and my skills and I felt like I displayed that on Saturday night.''

Romero added:

''I never once got knocked down, let alone knocked out, and the ref had to save me from myself because I’m fearless and got cold balls of steel and wanted to keep on fighting and putting on a show until the end. When you lose a fight usually the support starts to dry up and people stop calling to check in with you but after Saturday night I’ve received so much love and support from so many different places it’s made a huge difference in being able to cope with and accept this defeat.''

Check out the post below:

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Rolando Romero predicts potential Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight

Following Canelo Alvarez's impressive victory over Jermell Charlo in September, there were rumors of a possible bout with Terence Crawford, who is widely regarded as the current top pound-for-pound fighter in boxing.

Crawford, who won the undisputed welterweight championship in July 2023 by stopping Errol Spence Jr., has also openly voiced his desire for the much-awaited matchup with Alvarez.

In a recent interview with The Schmo, former WBA super lightweight champion Rolando Romero made a prediction on a potential matchup between Alvarez and Crawford.

''If Terence Crawford moves up to fight Canelo then it's gonna be a worse fight than f**king Charlo running around. I'mma tell you straight up Canelo by mur*er against Crawford.''

Check out Rolando Romero's comments below (6:33):