KANSAS CITY, Kan. (May 14, 2026) – Undefeated Kansas prospect Marco “El Tiburón” Romero (13-0, 11 KOs) headed north to prepare for his fight this Saturday night on “The Return,” presented by Kansas City Boxing Promotions, at Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Missouri.
A promotional free agent, the multi-gifted 20-year-old Romero recently spent 2 weeks training in Montreal as a guest of host Eye of the Tiger (EOTT), which is loaded with talented super middleweights from around the world, including International Boxing Federation (IBF) World Champion Osleys Iglesias (15-0, 14 KOs) and top contender Christian Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs).
Romero, fighting out of Olathe (KS), didn’t get an opportunity to spar with Iglesias, who had returned home to Germany after his most recent fight, or Mbilli because he was in Saudi Arabia signing his contract to fight Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (63-3-2. 39 KOs) in September. The Mexican American phenom did gain invaluable experience sparring super middleweights (14-0, 10 KOs) Moreno Fendero (France) and (32-1, 23 KOs) Eric Bazinyan (Armenia), as well as light heavyweight (11-1, 10 KOs) Iman Kathaev (Russia), among the more notables.
“It was amazing,” Romero spoke about his Montreal experience. “This was my first time sparring outside of the United States. I sparred (fellow Kansan) Eric Priest (16-0-1, 8 KOs) in California and there were some good fighters I sparred when I trained in Tampa. But I learned so much from sparring some great fighters in Montreal, and there were some great coaches, too. I got to work with so many different styled fighters. I had to adjust, using my speed with more head movement, and footwork. I sparred guys who were heavy-handed, bigger and older than me.
“I really expanded my boxing knowledge. From the moment we arrived in Montreal, we were welcomed with open arms and love, especially by (EOTT Director of Boxing Development and elite trainer) Marc Ramsey, who is such a nice guy. I really appreciated my Montreal Experience.”
“He seems to be even more focused and determined since he came home than he was before,” Romero’s manager/head trainer John Brown commented. “Part of what we have gotten him to be a fulltime boxer to do his job and become more Hagler-like. Marco is becoming more powerful but remember, he’s just a baby, only 20. My job is to make sure he reaches his full potential and keep him healthy.
“I couldn’t be happier with him training in Montreal. I have two good trainers who were amateur boxers, but the missing element has been quality sparring. There’s nobody for him to spar within 400 miles. The Montreal experience was so important for us.”
“El Tiburón” headlines “The Return” this Saturday in an 8-round bout, contested at a 165-pound catchweight, against late replacement Andre Sherrod (5-4, 4 KOs), a southpaw from Milwaukee. Sherrod is a very late replacement for Chown sims (10-2, 5 KOs), who pulled out of his second scheduled fight with Marco.
Neither the new opponent nor the fact he’s a southpaw concerns Romero, who added: “Absolutely doesn’t matter. I’m going in the ring like I always do, doing my job to the best of my abilities. I’ve fought some lefties and I have the perfect right hand against them.”
Romero, who was a sensational amateur boxer – 130-5 record – hasn’t lost a fight in nearly 7 years, since he dropped a split decision on June 28, 2019, at the National Junior Olympics.
Like Dorothy and Toto from The Wizard of Oz, Marco Romero isn’t just in Kansas anymore.
About the Author
