| Tonight in Portland, ME |
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| KANSAS CITY, 五月. (十一月 7, 2024) - Twenty-three-time national amateur champion, 18-year-old Kansas super middleweight prospect Marco “El Tiburón” Romero (3-0, 2 科斯), returns this Saturday night to the scene of his successful pro debut this past June in Portland, 缅因, 1,300 miles northeast of his home in Overland Park, 堪萨斯州. A promotional free agent, Romero is matched against Orlando “El Marro” Salgado (3-5, 2 科斯) in a four-round bout on a card promoted by Bobby Russo’s Portland Boxing Club in Portland’s Exposition Building. “I had my first pro fight there and I love Portland people, especially Bobby Russo (who is also President of the National Golden Gloves),罗梅罗说. “I loved the crowd, everybody was so welcoming, 话, ‘Go KC.’ There’s good energy and I couldn’t be more grateful.” 罗梅罗, who will celebrate his 19日 birthday on Nov. 19, is a special boxer and young man. 最后 12 months have been absolutely amazing whirlwind for him in boxing. Because he hadn’t reached the mandatory age of 18 但, and his weight class (超中量级) wasn’t included in 2024 Olympic boxing, Romero never seriously considered waiting for a shot at making the U.S. 国奥队. 代替, his eyes were on the prize of becoming a professional fighter. 去年十二月, Romero captured top honors at the prestigious USA Boxing National Championships in Lafayette, 路易斯安那州, followed closely by parlaying that to gold medal performance at the 2024 National Golden Gloves Tournament in Detroit. All told, 在最后 12 个月, 他 9-0 in amateur competition, including three at The Nationals and five at The Golden Gloves, plus three pro victories for a remarkable 12-0 记录 (three pro and 8 in elite national amateur competition) during this relatively short span. The Romero Plan has always been to close out his incredible amateur career by winning The Nationals and Golden Gloves, at which he was also named Most Outstanding Boxer, known as the Golden Boy Award, and then turn pro. Mission accomplished! |
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| (L-R) – National Golden Gloves President Bobby Russo and Marco Romero with his Golden Gloves belt and Golden Boy Award) “I would have liked to have fought in the Olympics,”他解释道, “because all of the good, young boxers were there, and we (中美. 男人) haven’t won an Olympic Gold Medal since Andre Ward in 2004. But I didn’t turn 18 until two weeks prior to the (巴黎) Olympics and my weight class wasn’t contested there. “现在, I’m on a new journey as a pro. 老老实实, there aren’t too many differences between the amateurs and pros. The weigh-ins are right before the fight in the amateurs and the night before as a pro. I don’t have any problems fighting without headgear or with smaller gloves. To me there are really no big differences. 我生来就是为了战斗!” Romero describes himself as a heavy hitter who throws every punch with bad intentions. He’s very explosive with ring intelligence, capable of punishing his opponent by breaking them down until they either quit because they can’t take any additional punishment or get put to sleep. In Romero’s corner is a legend in his own right, 77-year-old John Brown, who is Marco’s head trainer and manager, in the same role he played for world heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison (48-3-1, 42 科斯) from his amateur days through his first 39 亲打架, 1988 到 1993. The highlight, 当然, was Morrison’s 12-round unanimous decision over George Foreman for the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) 重量级冠军. Brown clearly doesn’t need to be in Romero’s corner to survive; 然而, John knows that Marco is a special fighter with tremendous upside, and he’s vowed to get him to the top of the boxing mountain. “I’m really excited about this kid,” Brown remarked, “and my job is to make him successful for himself and his family. Marco is an amazing kid. He has experience having boxed 10 年 135 业余打架. He has good looks and a good personality, great sense of humor, speaks very well in English and Spanish, maturity beyond his years, and a work ethic that’s difficult to find in boxing. “He’s hungry to be successful in life and knows that boxing is the vehicle to get him there. And he’s with the right people who don’t need to feed people. Anything could go wrong like injuries or illnesses, but it’s all there for him and a clear path. In terms of potential, Marco is in a rare class as part of a typical Mexican American family, tight knit and expanding. He respects everyone and Marco is a once in a lifetime talent.” Brown knows that a champion boxer needs a supportive team in his corner. Romero has that and much more. In addition to Brown, the team is comprised of Marco’s father, Salvador, who encouraged his son to become a boxer at the tender age of seven, and he has remained with Marco through every step of his boxing journey. Brown also brought in one of his former amateur champions, Sergio Flores, who is a very successful businessman. Flores handles the tough physical training aspects required for success in the ring along with mitt work to help keep Marco’s skills razor sharp. Fans attending this Saturday night’s show in Portland can look back in a few years and say they saw The Future of Boxing, Marco “El Tiburon” Romero, when he was just an 18-year-old prospect starting out on his mission to greatness. |