Rolando Romero‘s career is on a downward slide at the moment. He suffered a humiliating defeat against Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz on his return to the ring this year, losing his WBA super lightweight title in the process. Romero’s last loss has led to criticism from certain quarters of the boxing community who are questioning his desire to win the fight game. A statement he made in December last year has returned to haunt him. ‘Rolly’ stated that he would rather spend his time chilling on a “tropical island” than sweating it out in the boxing gym, following his title-winning bout against Ismael Barroso in May 2023.

On that note, Romero will fight again this year, going up against Manuel Jaimes on Saturday, September 14th, 2024, at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, for a 10-round super-lightweight contest. “This fight is about making a statement and getting back in the win column. As always, I’m coming for the knockout,” Romero said confidently. Can the 28-year-old fighter recover from his recent spate of losses, and go on a redemption arc? Ahead of the clash, let’s explore their records, and analyze how they compare against each other.

Who has a better boxing record?

Rolando Romero has a record of 15-2-0 and has faced elite boxers like Ismael Barroso, Gervonta Davis, and Isaac Cruz. However, Cruz’s recent run of form doesn’t inspire much hope. He has suffered two defeats in his last three fights. And his record against top-level fighters hasn’t been good, getting knocked out by Davis and Cruz. Even his win against Barroso, in between the two losses, many attribute to the referee’s overzealous intervention. Nonetheless, the super lightweight boxer did win a major world title in the super lightweight division, stopping Barroso last year to secure the WBA belt. However, the Las Vegas native lost the belt in the following fight against Isaac Cruz.

On the other hand, Manuel Jaimes has no elite names to his boxing record. But the 16-1-1 fighter does have one less loss in his boxing record than Romero. The 24-year-old Stockton native hasn’t been in a major world title fight yet. However, he did win the vacant WBC Youth World Lightweight title against Christian Santiago Vazquez in 2020. The only red mark in Jaimes’ record came against Pedro Bernal Rodriguez in 2022, suffering a unanimous decision loss. Currently, Jaimes is in hot form, coming into the showdown against Romero on the back of four straight wins.

Interestingly, Manuel Jaimes, at 24, has slightly more ring experience than Romero, having fought one more bout than him. The Stockton native has found eighteen times, and has eighty-four rounds under his belt, compared to Romero’s seventeen, with a total of seventy-four rounds over his professional career. The reason for this disparity in total rounds can be attributed to Rolly’s proclivity for knockouts.

The records don’t give much of an advantage to any of the fighters. However, a look at the physical attributes of both orthodox fighters might give us a better picture.

Rolando Romero vs. Manuel Jaimes.: Height, Reach, Weight, KO ratio

Rolando Romero has a height advantage of 2 inches over Jaimes, with the former champion standing in at 5′ 8″ or 173 cm. The Las Vegas native has a reach of 173cm. Meanwhile, Jaimes stands at 5′6″ or 168cm. Both fighters have fought the majority of their fights till now in the lightweight division, and their transition to super-lightweight has been quite recent. Nevertheless, both fighters would be attempting to make the 140-pound weight limit before Saturday.

In terms of power in punches, Romero has a clear advantage over Jaimes. The former has an 86.67% percent KO ratio, stopping thirteen out of the fifteen opponents he won against via knockouts. Meanwhile, Manuel Jaimes has a knockout percentage of 68.75%, securing a stoppage win against eleven of the sixteen opponents he beat.

Romero has to be cautious this time around against Jaimes after the loss in his last fight. If he comes out aggressive as he usually does, and leaves his chin exposed, possibilities are that Jaimes could make him pay. Safe to say, lunging forward, and throwing wild punches cannot be Romero’s game plan for his upcoming fights. He needs to shore up the lapses in his defense. And fight smart.

Nevertheless, Romero should have taken a lot of lessons from his losses, and his experience against elite boxers should come in handy in his upcoming fight. If the Las Vegas native fights strategically, and strikes with his power punches at the opportune moment, it could be lights out for Manuel Jaimes. If not, Jaimes could help add another loss to Rolly’s record.

Who do you have winning in this fight — Rolando Romero or Manuel Jaimes? Let us know in the comment section below.