Alberto Puello vs Rolando Romero Cancelled After Banned Substance Flag
The status of the WBA junior welterweight title is up in the air following the news that reigning WBA champion Alberto “La Avispa” Puello (21-0, 10 KOs) has tested positive for a banned substance during a pre-fight drug test. Puello was to defend the title against Rolando “Rolly” Romero (14-1, 12 KOs) on May 13 in Las Vegas. That contest has been cancelled.
CONTEMPLATING THEIR NEXT MOVE
3kingsboxing.com has learned that Puello tested positive for clomiphene. During an interview with ESPN, WBA president Gilberto Mendoza said they are determining whether Puello will be stripped of the belt.
“We’re going through due process. We’re going to listen to Puello’s arguments and let him disclose all the information. We’ll send all his information to the medical and legal committee, and then we’ll come back with an answer regarding his status as champion.”
Puello plans to appeal and will have his B-sample tested. If that result returns positive, he will be stripped of the title. La Avispa won the title in August 2022 with a split-decision victory over Batyr Akhmedov.
Romero has been out of action since suffering a sixth-round stoppage loss to reigning WBA Regular lightweight champion Gervonta Davis in May 2022. If Puello is stripped, Rolly is likely to face current WBA 140-pound mandatory challenger Ismael Borroso. Stay tuned to 3kingsboxing.com for further updates.
