KANSAS CITY, Kan. (November 7, 2024) – Twenty-three-time national amateur champion, 18-year-old Kansas super middleweight prospect Marco “El Tiburón” Romero (3-0, 2 KOs), returns this Saturday night to the scene of his successful pro debut this past June in Portland, Maine, 1,300 miles northeast of his home in Overland Park, Kansas.
A promotional free agent, Romero is matched against Orlando “El Marro” Salgado (3-5, 2 KOs) in a four-round bout on a card promoted by Bobby Russo’s Portland Boxing Club in Portland’s Exposition Building.
“I had my first pro fight there and I love Portland people, especially Bobby Russo (who is also President of the National Golden Gloves),” Romero said. “I loved the crowd, everybody was so welcoming, saying, ‘Go KC.’ There’s good energy and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Romero, who will celebrate his 19th birthday on Nov. 19, is a special boxer and young man. The last 12 months have been absolutely amazing whirlwind for him in boxing
Because he hadn’t reached the mandatory age of 18 yet, and his weight class (super middleweight) wasn’t included in 2024 Olympic boxing, Romero never seriously considered waiting for a shot at making the U.S. Olympic Team. Instead, his eyes were on the prize of becoming a professional fighter.
Last December, Romero captured top honors at the prestigious USA Boxing National Championships in Lafayette, Louisiana, followed closely by parlaying that to gold medal performance at the 2024 National Golden Gloves Tournament in Detroit. All told, in the last 12 months, he was 9-0 in amateur competition, including three at The Nationals and five at The Golden Gloves, plus three pro victories for a remarkable 12-0 record (three pro and 8 in elite national amateur competition) during this relatively short span.
The Romero Plan has always been to close out his incredible amateur career by winning The Nationals and Golden Gloves, at which he was also named Most Outstanding Boxer, known as the Golden Boy Award, and then turn pro. Mission accomplished!
“I would have liked to have fought in the Olympics,” he explained, “because all of the good, young boxers were there, and we (U.S. men) haven’t won an Olympic Gold Medal since Andre Ward in 2004. But I didn’t turn 18 until two weeks prior to the (Paris) Olympics and my weight class wasn’t contested there.
“Now, I’m on a new journey as a pro. Honestly, there aren’t too many differences between the amateurs and pros. The weigh-ins are right before the fight in the amateurs and the night before as a pro. I don’t have any problems fighting without headgear or with smaller gloves. To me there are really no big differences. I was born to fight!
Romero describes himself as a heavy hitter who throws every punch with bad intentions. He’s very explosive with ring intelligence, capable of punishing his opponent by breaking them down until they either quit because they can’t take any additional punishment or get put to sleep.
In Romero’s corner is a legend in his own right, 77-year-old John Brown, who is Marco’s head trainer and manager, in the same role he played for world heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison (48-3-1, 42 KOs) from his amateur days through his first 39 pro fights, 1988 to 1993. The highlight, of course, was Morrison’s 12-round unanimous decision over George Foreman for the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) heavyweight title.
Brown clearly doesn’t need to be in Romero’s corner to survive; however, John knows that Marco is a special fighter with tremendous upside, and he’s vowed to get him to the top of the boxing mountain.
“I’m really excited about this kid,” Brown remarked, “and my job is to make him successful for himself and his family. Marco is an amazing kid. He has experience having boxed 10 years and 135 amateur fights. He has good looks and a good personality, great sense of humor, speaks very well in English and Spanish, maturity beyond his years, and a work ethic that’s difficult to find in boxing.
“He’s hungry to be successful in life and knows that boxing is the vehicle to get him there. And he’s with the right people who don’t need to feed people. Anything could go wrong like injuries or illnesses, but it’s all there for him and a clear path. In terms of potential, Marco is in a rare class as part of a typical Mexican American family, tight knit and expanding. He respects everyone and Marco is a once in a lifetime talent.”
Brown knows that a champion boxer needs a supportive team in his corner. Romero has that and much more. In addition to Brown, the team is comprised of Marco’s father, Salvador, who encouraged his son to become a boxer at the tender age of seven, and he has remained with Marco through every step of his boxing journey. Brown also brought in one of his former amateur champions, Sergio Flores, who is a very successful businessman. Flores handles the tough physical training aspects required for success in the ring along with mitt work to help keep Marco’s skills razor sharp.
Fans attending this Saturday night’s show in Portland can look back in a few years and say they saw The Future of Boxing, Marco “El Tiburon” Romero, when he was just an 18-year-old prospect starting out on his mission to greatness.