KANSAS CITY, Tej zaum. (Lub rau hli ntuj 9, 2025) -Kansas boxing phenom Marco “El Tiburon” Romero (7-0, 6 Kos) started his pro career a year ago on Father’s Day Weekend in Portland, Maine, and he returns there this Saturday night for his third fight in The Forest City.
Despite the Cross Insurance Arena being more than 1,500 miles from his home in Olathe, Kansas, the 19-year-old Romero feels that Portland has become his second home, where he kick-started his pro career, and has developed a surprisingly growing fan base.
Romero stopped Jonathan Gary (2-1) Lub rau hli ntuj 15, 2024, in the second round at Cross Insurance Arena. Last October, Romero defeated Orlando Salgado (3-5) in Portland by way of a third-round technical knockout at the Exposition Building.
This Saturday the gifted super middleweight prospect faces “The Conqueror” Nafys Anas Garner (4-2, 3 Kos), fighting out of Sacramento (XWS LI), in a scheduled 6-round bout at Cross Insurance Arena.
“I’m more motivated than ever and couldn’t be happier to see the plan unfolding like we talked about a couple of years ago with Coach John (Brown, manager/head trainer), Uncle Al (Valenti, tus pab tswv yim), my father (Salvatore Romero, pab tus kws qhia) and Sergio (Paj, pab tus kws qhia).
“I’m ready and excited to be fighting again in Portland. I would love to bring a world title fight to Portland, where people appreciate good boxing. Traveling to fight is something I’m used to from my amateur days. Portland is like my second home because I’ve been treated so well there by everyone. I have big respect for Bobby Russo (pab txhawb). He’s an amazing guy who has shown me respect from the start. He gave me myGolden Tub (Most Outstanding Boxer Award, Russo is President of the National Golden Gloves), when I won my division at the (2024) National Golden Gloves.”
(L-R) – Bobby Russo & Marco Romero “Marco is excited to be fighting again in his adoptive city of Portland, which has the best fight fans in America,” Brown remarked. “He’s hoping to display the talents that will eventually lead him to a world title. Marco’s been lucky to fight every two months all over America, which is helping him build a national fan base.” -30-
KANSAS CITY, Tej zaum. (Kaum Ib Hlis Ntuj 7, 2024) -Twenty-three-time national amateur champion, 18-year-old Kansas super middleweight prospect Marco “El Tiburón” Romero (3-0, 2 Kos), returns this Saturday night to the scene of his successful pro debut this past June in Portland, Maine, 1,300 miles northeast of his home in Overland Park, Kansas.
A promotional free agent, Romero is matched against Orlando “El Marro” Salgado (3-5, 2 Kos) 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),” Romero said. “I loved the crowd, everybody was so welcoming, hais tias, ‘Go KC.’ There’s good energy and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Romero, who will celebrate his 19thbirthday on Nov. 19, is a special boxer and young man. The last 12 months have been absolutely amazing whirlwind for him in boxing.
Because he hadn’t reached the mandatory age of 18 tsis tau, and his weight class (super Middleweight) wasn’t included in 2024 Olympic boxing, Romero never seriously considered waiting for a shot at making the U.S. Olympic Team. Es tsis txhob, his eyes were on the prize of becoming a professional fighter.
xeem Hlis ntuj nqeg, Romero captured top honors at the prestigious USA Boxing National Championships in Lafayette, Louisiana, followed closely by parlaying that to gold medal performance at the 2024 National Golden Gloves Tournament in Detroit.
All told, Thaum kawg 12 lub hlis, he was 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 cov ntaub ntawv (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!
(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,” he explained, “because all of the good, young boxers were there, and we (U.S. cov txiv neej) haven’t won an Olympic Gold Medal since Andre Ward in 2004. But I didn’t turn 18 until two weeks prior to the (Paris) Olympics and my weight class wasn’t contested there.
"Tam sim no, I’m on a new journey as a pro. Ua siab ncaj, 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. I was born to fight!”
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 Kos) from his amateur days through his first 39 pro sib ntaus, 1988 rau 1993. The highlight, ntawm chav kawm, was Morrison’s 12-round unanimous decision over George Foreman for the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) Heavyweight title.
Brown clearly doesn’t need to be in Romero’s corner to survive; Txawm li cas los, 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 Ntau xyoo 135 pib xyaum ua fights. 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.
