Kansas prospect Marco Romero ends 2024 with a nod to Micky Ward

Marco Romero took another step toward bringing big fights to Kansas with another victory on the road.

The super middleweight prospect improved to 4-0 (3 KOs) with victory in Portland, Maine, capping a 12-month period that has seen him go 13-0 in the amateurs and pros.

The promotional free agent defeated Orlando Salgado after 1:21 of round one, stopping his opponent with a left to the body. Salgado dropped to 3-6 (2 KOs), on Bobby Russo’s Portland Boxing Club show at Exposition Building on November 9.

“I’ve always had that power, especially that left hook to the body,” Romero said. “I knew it was over when I hit him with that body shot and he grunted. I’ve worked a lot on that left hook to the head and body. I haven’t met Micky Ward, yet, but I watched the movie [The Fighter], and it was a great story.” 

A decorated former amateur champion, Romero has just turned 19 and because of his young age and boxing dropping his weight class from the Paris Olympics, he decided to turn pro.

Romero, whose father Salvador encouraged him to box at the age of seven, is now likely to fight again in the first quarter of 2025.

“I’m going to enjoy the holidays with my family, but I’ll continue working hard to get better, even during the holidays,” he said.

In Romero’s corner is 77-year-old John Brown, who is Marco’s head trainer and manager, the role he had for former heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison, from his amateur days through his first 39 pro fights, 1988 to 1993. 

“I liked the fact Marco fought in front of a lot of people. 3,000 rabid fans,” Brown, who works with assistant coaches Sergio Flores and father Salvador, said. “It was an exciting environment and down the road, he’s going to be in big fights, and it was good for him to get experience like he did in his last fight. He has a great left hook like so many Mexican fighters. I like that he’s going to have some time off after the last 12 months. We need to find him some durable sparring because that’s lacking in this area. I want him in real sparring sessions, not holding back, to know when to let it go. I don’t worry about his time off over the holidays because he’s always in the gym and he’s only 19.”