There’s every reason to believe that ‘Momo’ Romero can ascend, once again, to boxing’s highest level–champion.
Colombian boxer Jhonatan “Momo” Romero is a testament to perseverance.
Earlier in his career, he reached the peak of the boxing world, both as an amateur and a pro. Today, five years after capturing the IBF Super Bantamweight title, the 31-year old Romero is mounting a comeback.
I spoke recently with Romero via a translator, his manager Mauricio Gonzalez. I found Romero’s story to be one of determination and redemption. And to get a fix on both, it’s important to know something about Romero’s beginnings.
Courtesy: Minuto30.com
Born and raised in Cali, Colombia, boxing became his sport of choice. His older brother, Rene, was an acclaimed boxer–a national champ, in fact–and Rene’s accomplishments sparked Momo’s interest in the sport.
Boxing was an affordable sport, too. As a youth, he’d go to the gym, get a meal, and even get paid a few bucks to spar with competitors. No other sport offered that combination.
Romero’s path to the pro title began as an amateur. In 2006, he won the Bronze Medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games. A year later, Momo reached the quarterfinals of the World Amateur Boxing Championships. His amateur career culminated when he won his weight class at the 2007 Colombian National Championships. That victory qualified him for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where he was defeated by Moroccan boxer, Hicham Mesbahi.
He entered the professional ranks in 2009 and stormed to an undefeated 23-0 record. The culmination of pro success came in 2013 when he won the IBF Super Bantamweight in a fight against Alejandro Lopez in Mexico.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHDcGs23yt8
But just six months later, Momo lost his first pro bout–and his title–in a TKO upset at the hands of Kiko Martinez.
Losing the title was a hard pill to swallow but, today, Romero knows that defeat fuels the desire to win again and get back to the top. Defeat is humbling, too. “When you’re on top, everybody’s around,” Romaro told me, “even national politicians were around. But when you’re not on top, the attention and fanfare disappear.”
Having experienced peaks and valleys during his boxing career, Romero is more committed than ever to succeed. He has another motivation, too–helping to lift his family out of Cali’s poverty, the place where he still resides. It’s a place where street violence took the lives of three of his brothers.
Currently, Romero fights in the 126 lb. Featherweight Class, where his prime competitors are unbeaten Oscar Valdez and Josh Warrington. However, he’d gladly switch weigh class if an opportunity opens up for a title fight. Romero believes he has skills and experience to compete against anyone in his previous weight class at 122 lbs.
Courtesy: Boxrec
In the meantime, Romero awaits an opportunity. Having only one blemish in 32 professional fights (he’s 31-1-0 with 17 KO’s), Romaro has paid his dues.
But he also knows how difficult it can be to get a shot at fighting legitimate contenders for the crown. So Momo trains and fights. He has fought twice this year in Colombia, winning both contests, in what he regards as “tune-up bouts.”
To remain competitive, Romero found it necessary to evolve his boxing style. Earlier in his career, he focused on connecting with headshots to collect the most points. Today, Romero is a more complete boxer, one who blends body and head shots in his ring strategy. To make that evolution, Romero studied what other boxers were doing.
He learned the most from former multi-title holder Floyd Mayweather, and International Boxing Hall of Famer, Antonio “Pambelé” Cervantes. He admires Mayweather’s craftiness and work ethic. He holds Cervantes in high regard, not only because he was one of Colombia’s first champions, but also for his longevity–he held the Junior Welterweight title for a remarkable eight years.
I found Romero to be a humble, yet self-assured, man. He maintains steadfast in his love for his homeland of Columbia–despite the adversity his family has faced in the past and continues to face today. But he’s also thankful for opportunities the United States affords. Here he has access to better training facilities and sparring partners, spearheaded by a solid management/promotion team, which includes trainer Gonzalez and Thompson Promotions.
There’s every reason to believe that ‘Momo’ Romero can ascend, once again, to boxing’s highest level–champion.
