That’s the easiest way to get into the Hall of Fame, right?” Romero, who is 17-2 with 13 KOs, asked reporters on Monday after hearing that Pacquiao advisor Sean Gibbons had named the 29-year-old Las Vegas boxer as the favorite to fight Pacquiao next. Gibbons was upset that Pacquiao's fight with WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios on Saturday was scored as a draw. He stated he doesn't like Barrios because he didn't fight Pacquiao more often. Gibbons said of Barrios, "Manny, even at 46, showed up like he always does, but after Manny tagged the guy a few times, he calmed down." "They stole history from Manny Pacquiao because the guy kept running on his bike." Mario Barrios lost the fight, and my heart breaks for Manny Pacquiao. The judges gave the fight a majority draw, with Barrios winning 115-113 and two judges giving it 114-114. Gibbons said, "I was happy to fight Barrios." "I thought he would fight Manny and we would really have a fight, but after Barrios got hit a few times, he fought like Manny was an ICE agent." Gibbons said he had no doubt what Romero's plans are after the new champion knocked Garcia out in the second round of their main event on May 2 at New York's Times Square. Romero has shown that he can knock people out. Romero said, "We can do it." "Everything has to fit together. People are going to love it. That makes logic right there. Gibbons claimed that Barrios, who has a record of 29 wins, 2 losses, and 1 draw, simply brings a belt to a fight with Pacquiao. He wants someone more interesting to help get people to buy pay-per-view events and get people interested. Romero has shown that he is tough and cocky. He won a lightweight belt in 2021 but lost to the undefeated Davis in 2022. He came back to beat Ismael Barroso in 2023 for the 140-pound title, but he lost it by TKO to Pacquiao's student Isaac Cruz in 2024. After that, he beat Garcia to win the WBA 147lbs interim belt. Later, when Jaron "Boots" Ennis moved up to 154lbs, he became the official titleholder. Romero responded, "You know, it must be a blessing when legends call you out." "If a legend wants to fight you, that means something. It's not just because of the belt; it's also because I can sell the fight and I'm as good as he is. That says a lot about how much potential I really have. Romero went to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas to see Pacquiao win. Romero remarked of Pacquiao's performance at age 46, just a month after being inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and coming back after a four-year break, "A legend is going to be a legend." "It was a close fight, though. Not to take anything away from Mario Barrios," Romero added. "But I thought Pacquiao won." Many people thought Pacquiao would win. Barrios only clearly won the last three rounds. I think Pacquiao was winning the other rounds, but he stole some of them with these "bursting moments" at the end of the rounds. Gibbons remarked that Pacquiao's stamina and activity were better than Barrios's. Gibbons stated, "Some people thought it was going to be like Muhammad Ali's last fight, when he beat Larry Holmes badly." "Now they know what Manny said: 'I'm back.'" One thing that made Romero mad was seeing the champion Barrios walk to the ring first. "Like I said, if everything makes sense." Romero said of Pacquiao, "For example, he's the first to walk out." "He told Barrios to leave first. What the hell is it, man? The winner walks out second. It's not polite. No matter what, this fight can absolutely happen. Romero knows that Pacquiao's popularity may make this the biggest fight of his career. "It's not about the money." Everyone is after all that. "I'm not a person who boxes for money, and I think I've shown that enough times," he remarked. "Have I not said that enough times?" When he was asked if he wanted to send a message to Pacquiao, that honesty stayed. "Say, 'Congratulations, champ.'" Romero added, "I saw him win that fight." "He's a great fighter." He is a legend, and God bless him eternally.