Rolando Romero defeated Avery Sparrow by TKO in the seventh round during their bout this Saturday night at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. The World Boxing Association (WBA) Interim Lightweight Champion defeated his rival in a match that did not have his title at stake.

Romero knocked down Sparrow in the first round with a left hook and asserted his authority from the start of the fight. However, that did not mean the surrender of Sparrow, who got up and gave his all to complicate Romero throughout the rounds.

With various tricks, Sparrow fought toe-to-toe with the champion throwing straight rights and engaging in interesting blow exchanges.

But the quality of “Rolly” was imposed little by little and his blows to the body, combined with good straight rights to the face, reduced Sparrow’s condition. In the end, a leg injury forced Sparrow’s team to stop the fight.

Romero was going to face Justin Pauldo at first to defend his belt but the title challenger did not make the weight, so Sparrow was a substitute rival and the defense was canceled. Romero remains the WBA Interim Champion at 135 pounds.

The champion improved his undefeated record to 13 wins with 11 KOs, while Sparrow now has a record of 10 wins, 3 losses, and 3 KOs.