A Fight Fueled By Loss

Today, the WBA ordered welterweight champion Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero to begin negotiating with his mandatory challenger, Shakhram Giyasov, for a title defense. They have until November 13 to negotiate a deal before a purse bid. That’s not going to make Rolly and Manny Pacquiao happy.

Pacquiao Title Shot in Jeopardy

The WBA’s order puts Rolly’s planned January 24, 2026, fight against Manny Pacquio on shaky ground for having the title at stake. Fans of Pacquiao (62-8-3, 39 KOs) were looking forward to seeing him fight Rolly (17-2, 13 KOs) for his WBA title. They’re rooting for Pacquiao to win a world title at 47 against a vulnerable champion.

The fight can still happen, but without Rolly’s WBA title at stake. He’ll have to vacate his title because his mandatory has now been ordered against the Matchroom-promoted Giyasov.

A Father’s Promise to His Late Daughter

Earlier this year, Giyasov revealed that he’d promised his dying 2-year-old daughter that he would win a world title. For him to be bypassed in favor of an older fighter, Pacquiao, who doesn’t deserve a world title shot, would be a shame. How could Pacquiao even take the fight knowing Giyasov’s situation?

“I promised her I will be world champion! It’s a fight for my daughter – I promised for my daughter I would be a world champion. She believed me, I did it,” said Giyasov to DAZN about a promise he’d made to his dying 2-year-old daughter before she passed away in March 2025.

WBA Orders Romero vs. Giyasovhttps://t.co/PUDT20gtg5

— WBA Boxing (@WBABoxing) October 13, 2025

Pacquiao Could Wait for the Winner

It wouldn’t be the end of the world for Pacquiao to wait until after Giyasov gets his title shot against Rolly. If the whole point in Filipino star to fight for a world title is to capture a title at 47, he can try and accomplish that against the winner of the Romero-Giyasov fight.

Of course, it would be a lot harder for Pacquiao to defeat Giyasov because the 2016 Olympic silver medalist would be a nightmare for the older fighter. Rolly’s chances of beating Giyasov are slim. That fight is a mismatch on paper, which is why Romero isn’t eager to fulfill his mandatory obligation. Giyasov is bad news for him.

If Giyasov did agree to a step aside, it’s predictable that the Pacquiao-Rolly winner would do the same thing for their next fight. Why would either of these fighters want to face Giyasov when their chances of winning would be slim, and they’d make less money than fighting a more popular fighter like Ryan Garcia, Conor Benn, or Devin Haney?

For the WBA 147-lb belt to be at stake, a likely seven-figure step-aside payment would need to be made to #1 Giyasov to get him to move aside. The problem is, Giyasov already agreed to a step aside deal earlier this year in April to allow then WBA champion Eimantas Stanionis to fight IBF champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis in a unification clash.

Shortly after Ennis defeated Stanionis to capture his WBA title, he vacated the belt. The WBA allowed Rolly Romero and Ryan Garcia to fight for the vacant title instead of Giyasov. So, he was bypassed for a second time. If he agrees to a step-aside deal, it would be the third time he’s failed to get a title shot.