Daniel Roman doesn’t want to be the nice guy who finishes last

Daniel Roman has the reputation of being a nice guy, but the former unified super bantamweight boxing champion wants a title shot. 

In and out of boxing circles, Daniel Roman is regarded as a really nice guy. He’s soft-spoken, polite, and just a kind person.

But his kindness has limits, especially if you’re one of the three major super bantamweight titleholders.

Roman (28-3-1, 10 KOs) reigned as a world champion for over two years. He was the unified champion until he dropped a very close split decision to Murodjon Akhmadaliev. It could have gone either way, but the judges saw the fight in Akhmadaliev’s favor.

However, Roman never got the rematch he so badly desired.

The pandemic hit, which complicated everything, and Akhmadaliev had to fulfill a mandatory for his IBF title. Still, Roman was left without a title shot.

It’s a new year, and Roman just celebrated his 31st birthday on May 10. He returns to the ring on May 15 against Ricardo Espinoza Franco on Showtime and hopes that his wish for an upcoming title fight materializes this year.

“This year, you know, it’ll be good if I get a title shot before the year ends,” Roman told FanSided. “I want this year to become a champion once again and stay closer to my goal to get back on top where I was before.”

Assuming Roman gets the win against Franco, there are three current champions, and fellow super bantamweights Luis Nery and Brandon Figueroa are the main event of the Showtime card Roman is on. The winner of Nery vs. Figueroa will be the WBC and WBA “regular” champion. Roman is willing to fight any of them.

Are the super bantamweight champions purposefully evading Daniel Roman?

“I know the champions got their agenda,” said Roman. “They got their plans they want to make, you know, but they’re forgetting about the mandatory. I won the mandatory back in September. I still have unfinished business with MJ. I still want that rematch. I guess Luis Nery or Figueroa, the winner that night, I guess they got they got him set up for September. So you know, what’s going on? And you know, they trying to skip me or something? Because I won the mandatory and I want the chance to fight the champions. So give me the chance, you know.”

Roman’s fight with Juan Carlos Payano was a WBC mandatory eliminator, but it’s looking like he will have to wait for the chance to fight the winner of Nery vs. Figueroa. They’re poised for a unification bout with Stephen Fulton. The WBC has a say when they want a mandatory to be enforced. However, every champion can make their own decision on who to fight next but could be stripped of a title if they go against a sanctioning body’s decree.

Roman feels like the three champions are trying to avoid him.

“It does look like it,” said Roman about being skipped over. “I mean, when I was a champion, I was fighting all my mandatories. I wasn’t avoiding anyone for whoever they put in front of me. It seems like these guys are avoiding me.”

Roman insists he’s focusing on his fight with Franco, but Franco is the next step in closing in on another title. That’s Roman’s sole motivation.

“I’m here to fight the best, Jeremy, and I believe the best for division right now are the champions, you know,” said Roman. “I’m just one step closer to it. And we’re just waiting for the champions to for the title shot.”

The business and the politics of boxing can be frustrating. It’s certainly trying Roman’s patience, but all he can do is keep winning and calling out the current belt holders. He wants them, but do they want to fight him? If he keeps winning, they won’t have a choice.

Watch Daniel Roman vs. Ricardo Espinoza Franco on Saturday, May 15, on Showtime. Coverage begins at 10 p.m. ET.