Champion Boxer Says Manny Pacquiao “Used Me for Clout” After Fight Talks Collapsed
A world champion boxer is not happy with the legendary Manny Pacquiao after fight talks fell through. Rolly Romero says he is “the most avoided fighter in boxing,” and his latest comments frame that claim around a string of missed big-fight opportunities, a stalled Manny Pacquiao deal, and a year of inactivity that has left him calling himself “retired” for now. The WBA welterweight champion has also argued that he is chasing legacy, not just money, and says the sport keeps talking about him while fights keep falling apart.
Romero was blunt in describing how he sees his career right now. “I got ducked by everybody. I’m the only champion in history that’s gotten ducked for five megafights. It’s unheard of. But I’m a bum? With a belt and a high ticket payday? Something’s not adding up,” he said. He added in an interview with ToonieBet: “They’re all scared. We offered them all great deals, great splits, everything. They even acknowledged it was good money, but they don’t want to fight. They get scared. I am the most avoided fighter in boxing”.
He has said he believes rival camps have kept him waiting while public talk around his name kept growing. Romero’s argument is that the gap between what is said in interviews and what happens at the negotiating table has become the story of his career just coming off a high-profile win over Ryan Garcia.
Rolly Romero Claims Manny Pacquiao Fight Fell Apart After Two Months of Talks
A major part of Romero’s frustration comes from the failed talks with Manny Pacquiao. ESPN reported in October 2025 that negotiations for a January fight between Pacquiao and Romero had begun, while other outlets later reported that the WBA ordered Romero to face mandatory challenger Shakhram Giyasov instead. Coverage in early 2026 said the Pacquiao talks had collapsed after the sanctioning body would not move Giyasov aside.
Romero has since taken aim at Pacquiao’s side. “We negotiated the Pacquiao fight for two months. He kept asking for more money even though he couldn’t generate what he was asking for. Then the fight collapsed and later everyone blamed Floyd Mayweather for taking the fight. Floyd didn’t take my fight. The deal was already dead. They just used me for clout,” he said. That version lines up with later reports that the deal never became final and that Romero’s team also sought an exception from the WBA to allow the Pacquiao bout to happen first.
Romero has also described himself as retired, though he says it is not his choice. “As of right now, I am retired. I am a retired investor on a pension,” he said. He followed that with: “It’s not my fault that I’m retired now. I’m not the one choosing to be retired. I don’t box for money. I box because I want to be champion. I like being champion. I want to go to the Hall of Fame.”
That stance helps explain the tone of his recent remarks. Rather than presenting retirement as a final exit, Romero appears to be using it as a criticism of the current state of his career: titleholder, public draw, but no fight in place. For now, the result is a champion saying he has been frozen out while still insisting he wants the biggest names available.
