ROLANDO Romero shook off his stoppage loss to Isaac Cruz in March by outpointing Manuel Jaimes over 10 rounds. Going home with the WBA Intercontinental super-lightweight title, Romero won 99-91 across the board.
The victor did a good job of forcing Jaimes onto the retreat and limiting his output. While he may not turn into a prime Jorge Linares overnight, Rolly’s boxing was compact and smooth under new coach Ismael Salas.
Much of Romero’s success came from his trademark awkwardness, as a whipping uppercut woke Jaimes up in the third. The Stockton boxer could not close the distance and land the same left hook that ‘Pitbull’ Cruz had so much success with.
Never in a dull fight, Romero occasionally sought the solace of the ropes as the bout wore on and his always-leaky defence started letting in. This was supposed to be Jaimes’ wheelhouse. He poured it on but could not make a breakthrough as Rolando closed out strong, improving to 16-2 (13). Jaimes has probably found his level, moving to 16-2-1 (11). Robert Hoyle was the third man in the ring.
