Zab Judah Predicts Rolly Romero Upsets Teofimo Lopez Tonight

The Prediction Zab Judah — a man who knows a thing or two about being a two-division world champion himself — is going against the grain tonight. The former undisputed welterweight king is backing Rolly Romero to beat Teofimo Lopez at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and he's got receipts.

"In the past when we've seen Rolly in preparation for a fight, he was always on the internet saying crazy s**t, doing crazy things, this time we don't see any of that," Judah said. "He's locked in, he's training, and I predict that Rolly Romero is going to beat Teofimo Lopez."

The kicker? Judah says the buzz out of camp is that Romero's been finishing sparring partners. "From what I've been hearing about him in training, he's been doing good and knocking people out."

Why This Fight Matters Teofimo Lopez is chasing history — a shot at becoming a three-division world champion after already ruling at lightweight and super-lightweight. But his run at 140lbs ended in January, and now he's stepping up to welterweight looking to reset his legacy against a dangerous, unpredictable puncher in Romero.

Romero, for his part, is defending the belt for the first time since his unanimous decision win over Ryan Garcia in May 2025. That win alone put him on the map as a legitimate threat at 147lbs, not just a chaos agent with knockout power. If Judah's read on his camp is accurate, a more disciplined, focused Romero could be the scariest version of himself yet.

What's Next for the Winner This isn't just about tonight. The winner is already being lined up for a massive unification bout against whoever comes out on top of the upcoming Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn WBC welterweight title fight. Beyond that, names like WBO champ Devin Haney and IBF titleholder Liam Paro are floating around as potential future opponents.

In other words: welterweight is stacked right now, and tonight's outcome could shape the division's pecking order for the next year or more.

The Bottom Line Judah's pick isn't just a gut feeling — it's based on what he's hearing from inside Romero's camp about a more focused fighter putting people down in sparring. Lopez remains the more accomplished, technically polished fighter with titles in multiple weight classes, but Romero's power and newfound discipline make this a genuine 50-50 fight heading into fight night.