COMBAT SPORTS
Romeros had more time thanks to liver transplant
Former world champion continues to support organ donation
The case can be made, and has been, that Danny Romero deserves to join fellow New Mexicans Bob Foster, Johnny Tapia and Holly Holm in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
His credentials: a 45-5-2 career record with 38 knockouts; three world titles in three different weight classes; status, accorded by Ring Magazine in 1996, as pound-for-pound the hardest puncher in the sport; having become in 1995 the first U.S.-born flyweight world champion in six decades.
But on May 9, at a benefit car show for New Mexico Donor Services in the parking lot of St. Therese Catholic Church, Romero wasn鈥檛 thinking about boxing or the IBHOF.
He was thinking about the gift of 14 years he鈥檇 had with his New Mexico Boxing Hall of Fame dad, thanks to a liver transplant.
They were always Big Danny and Little Danny, since technically they were not Senior and Junior. From the very beginning, the father was the son鈥檚 trainer.
The journey to those world titles was not easy for either man, fraught with constant pressure to win, a career-threatening eye injury to the fighter and sometimes rocky relationships with promoters in the always treacherous business of boxing.
Then, things got tougher.
In 2005, as Little Danny鈥檚 ring career was coming to an end, his dad was diagnosed with a liver disease 鈥� he was a lifelong teetotaler 鈥� that, without a transplant, would have proved fatal.
Enter a hall-of-fame donor.
Juan Romero is Little Danny鈥檚 biological cousin but grew up as a brother under the roof of Big Danny and Elena in the North Valley. Having been identified as a compatible donor, Juan gave 60% of his liver 鈥� the only organ in the human body that can fully regenerate 鈥� to Big Danny.
The operation was successful, giving the elder Romero 14 years he wouldn鈥檛 have had.
And for those years, father and son were just that 鈥� not trainer and son, though boxing, at their Hideout Gym, remained a big part of their relationship.
鈥淢y dad has been my coach all my life,鈥� said Romero, with his 16-year-old son Danny, better known as Danny Boy, standing close by at the car show. 鈥淭hose last years I got to have my father. I got to be with my dad, and that鈥檚 what I鈥檓 doing with Danny Boy in my life.鈥�
Few people retire from their chosen line of work at age 31, as Romero the boxer did in 鈥�05. Little Danny struggled, drifted for a while, trying to find a way forward.
Boxing promotion, he found 鈥� not totally to his surprise 鈥� was a messy business. His last scheduled promotion was cancelled due to poor ticket sales.
Then, a few months after his father鈥檚 death in 2019, leaving the son with a yawning void in his life, Little Danny became acquainted with Ricardo Chaves, an sa国际传媒官网网页入口 developer and entrepreneur.
Romero had managed his ring earnings responsibly but lacked the business acumen to expand his reach. With Chaves鈥� guidance, he was able to do so.
Chaves died in August at age 89, but his influence continues to be felt. Life is good, Little Danny said 鈥� for himself, his wife, Michelle and son Danny Boy. Danimarie, an older daughter, has made him a doting granddad.
Giving back, he said, remains a focus 鈥� never more so than in supporting organ donation.
Even during his boxing career, Romero said, 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 about take, take, take, take, take. We wanted to get paid, yes and we did. We took care of our money.
鈥淏ut now it鈥檚 time to give back, like we always have.鈥�
TRANSPLANT GAMES: Registration is still open to New Mexico鈥檚 transplant recipients, living donors and family members for the 2026 Transplant Games of America, scheduled June 18-23 in Denver.
The Games offer competition in 20 events, including basketball, swimming, volleyball, bowling, golf, track and field, a 5K run, ballroom dancing, table tennnis and even Texas Hold 鈥橢m poker.
For information, call Lucy Reyes Salazar at 505-415-0363 or Victoria Yocum at 505-506-7294.
RODRIGUEZ REMEMBERED: Mark Rodriguez, a former Santa Fe High School basketball star who later in life underwent two double lung transplants, died on March 3. He was 56.
Rodriguez participated in the 2012 and 2014 Transplant Games and was a powerful force in forming a New Mexico team for the 2026 Games after a 12-year hiatus.
Of organ donation, Rodriguez said during an interview at New Mexico Donor Services in September, 鈥淚t鈥檚 about giving somebody something that we鈥檝e already been given. Extra time to have an impact with the world, time with our families, time to show people that when it gets tough, we have to be tougher.鈥�
