Daniel Gregorio "Danny" Romero Jr. (born July 12, 1974) is an American former

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...

who competed between 1992 and 2006. He is a world champion in two weight classes, having held the

IBF The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...

flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of bo ...

title from 1995 to 1996 and the IBF

junior bantamweight Super flyweight, also referred to as junior bantamweight, is a boxing weight classes, weight class in professional boxing, contested from and up to . History The first title match in this division was in 1980, when the World Boxing Council respond ...

title from 1996 to 1997.

Professional career

Romero's first fight as a professional was on September 14, 1992, when he knocked out Raul Hernandez in the first round at

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

. His first eight bouts all took place in the Phoenix area, and he won all, seven by

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

. His first fight outside Phoenix was on April 13, 1993, when he knocked out Alberto Cantu in three rounds at

Bay St. Louis, Mississippi Bay St. Louis is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Mississippi, in the United States. Located on the Gulf Coast on the west side of the Bay of St. Louis, it is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of ...

. On May 22 of that year, he had his first professional fight in his hometown, Albuquerque New Mexico USA, knocking out Silverio Porras in two rounds. Romero won five more bouts in a row, including a victory over former Alex Sanchez world title challenger

Orlando Malone Orlando Max Malone (born December 18, 1963), is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2007. He challenged for the WBO mini flyweight title in 1993. Professional career Malone started boxing at the age of 21. After a ...

, before having his first chance to fight for a belt: On May 5, 1994, he knocked out Brian Lonon in two rounds to win the NABF regional Flyweight title. He retained the title four times, and added three non-title victories, before challenging for a world championship for the first time. On April 22, 1995, he became the

's world Flyweight champion with a twelve round unanimous decision over Francisco Tejedor, at the

MGM Grand Arena The MGM Grand Garden Arena (originally known as the MGM Grand Garden Special Events Center) is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose arena located within the MGM Grand Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip. Sporting events From its opening on December 18, 1993 ...

, in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. He defended the title once, then faced the unheralded Willy Salazar in a non-title bout, on September 8. Romero suffered a 7th round TKO loss to Salazar, in what

Ring Magazine ''The Ring'' (often called ''The Ring'' magazine or ''Ring'' magazine) is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into questio ...

heralded as the "upset of the year" for 1995. In that fight he was ahead on all score cards before having the fight stopped due to an eye injury. He bounced back with a first round knockout victory over former WBO world Flyweight champion

Jose Quirino Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. * Jose ben Abin * Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galile ...

. Romero then decided to move up in weight division, to the Super Flyweight division. After one win in that division, he was given a chance at his second world championship. On August 24, 1996, Romero knocked out

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

Harold Grey Harold Grey (born December 20, 1971) is a former boxer who was the IBF super flyweight champion twice in the mid-1990s. He was born in Arjona, Bolívar, Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in Sou ...

in two rounds to conquer his second world title. Even as he had lost to Salazar previously, interest in a fight between Romero and

Johnny Tapia John Lee Anthony Tapia (February 13, 1967 – May 27, 2012) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2011. He held multiple world championships in three weight classes, including the unified IBF and WBO super flyweight title ...

began to increase. After winning two more fights, both times Romero retaining his world title by knockout, Romero and Tapia met to unify the IBF and WBO world Super Flyweight championships. On July 18, 1997, the long-awaited bout finally took place, with Tapia winning a close twelve round unanimous decision. Romero won three fights in a row, then lost, on

Halloween night ''Halloween Night'' is a 2006 American Slasher film, slasher mockbuster film produced by The Asylum. Plot The film follows Chris Vale, who was admitted to an asylum at the age of 12 after witnessing his mother's rape and murder by two thugs hire ...

, 1998 to

Vuyani Bungu Vuyani Bungu (born 26 February 1967) is a South African former professional boxer who competed from 1987 to 2005. He held the International Boxing Federation, IBF junior-featherweight title from 1994 to 1999, and the International Boxing Organ ...

by a twelve round decision in an attempt to win a title in a third division, this time the IBF Super-Bantamweight title. Romero would go on to win ten of his next twelve bouts, including a first round knockout over former world champion

Rodolfo Blanco Rodolfo Blanco (born June 14, 1966) is a Colombian former professional boxer who held the International Boxing Federation (IBF) flyweight title in 1992. Blanco became a professional boxer in 1982. In 1987 he challenged Myung Woo Yuh for the Wo ...

and a sixth round knockout over the respected Famosito Gomez. On September 27, 2002, Danny fought

Cruz Carbajal Cruz Carbajal (born 3 May 1974) is a Mexican former professional Boxing, boxer who competed from 1992 to 2012. He is the younger brother of International Boxing Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame boxer Michael Carbajal. Professional career After making ...

but the fight was stopped by Romero's trainer, former world champion

Eddie Mustafa Muhammad Eddie Mustafa Muhammad (born Edward Dean Gregory; April 30, 1952) is a former professional boxer and the former WBA Light Heavyweight Champion of the World. He is currently a boxing trainer. He has also been an occasional actor. Amateur care ...

after round four due to an injury suffered in the first round. On May 23, 2003, in front of his hometown crowd following a twelve round unanimous decision win over Trinidad Mendoza gave him his third world title in three different weight classes, winning the IBA's Super-Bantamweight title.

Other achievements

Romero does occasional

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

jobs, specifically for the

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

boxing network as well as commercials and movies. Developed his own promotional company called "Danny Romero Productions." The company promotes shows of any kind and currently has professional fighters signed to the company. A private boxing gym was purchased to provide his fighters with elite training. The gym prepares Danny as well as his pro fighters for possible upcoming events.

Comeback

Romero Jr.'s father was stricken with a rare liver disorder, a form of cirrhosis that would kill him without a transplant. Inspired by his father's battle, Romero Jr. returned to the ring and, fighting for the first time in two years, was held to a majority draw by Alex Ali Baba (21-7-1) in an eight-round junior featherweight fight.

Professional boxing record

References

External links