Daniela LaFaveWhen fight attendees arrived to enjoy Fists of Fury on Thursday, they weren’t expecting the spotlight to turn to a pair of OnlyFans models. Camilla Araujo and Julia Filippo showed up to lend their emotional support to Rolly Romero. The duo was decked out with official yellow Fists of Fury wrist wraps, with Araujo even posing in the ring. Filippo remained nearby with other creators, giving social media gossips something to talk about.
Power players involved at Thursday evening’s bout were two boxers and two OnlyFans models. Rolly Romero is an American boxer and the current WBA titleholder in the light welterweight division. He was set to fight Ryan Garcia, a high-profile boxer with a fanbase largely made up of Gen Zers. Garcia was recently under fire for a terrible performance in a May bout. Camilla Araujo is most well known for her content on OnlyFans and for being a co-founder of the Bop House, the content house she started with Sophie Rain. Julia Filippo is a rising star in the OnlyFans scene, often seen close to Araujo—as she was at the fight on Thursday night.
Thursday’s fight was a much-anticipated rematch for Romero and Garcia. For Garcia, it was an opportunity to redeem himself after his poor performance against Romero in May. His performance wasn’t just “poor”—it was abysmal. A second-round knockdown that was so embarrassing, Garcia now claims: “That wasn’t me in the ring… I didn’t even show up mentally.” Mentally he may not have been present, but his body certainly took a beating. “I was off balance, I got dropped, but it was wack. Nobody even watched it.” Criticism from boxing analyst Teddy Atlas would suggest otherwise. Said Atlas: “You can lose, but you can’t quit.” That night in May, Garcia certainly seemed to throw in the towel.
It may have been Garcia and Romero’s big night, but all eyes were on Araujo and Filippo. They used their influence to throw crowd support behind Romero. Araujo even stepped in the ring for a photo op, showing off her look, and her clear preference for the fighter who stayed standing in May. The presence of Araujo and Filippo is yet another signal of an ever-growing crossover between OnlyFans creators and professional fighting.
Garcia isn’t the only one who needed a boost on Thursday. He lost the match, but Araujo enjoyed her moment in the spotlight. That moment was much needed after the very public split between herself and Sophie Rain. Araujo’s appearance at Fists of Fury is one of the influencer’s first public outings since she and Rain parted ways professionally. Camilla Araujo standing proud and throwing her support behind Romero on her own—without mentioning the Bop House (though Filippo was present as well)—was a solo move that her fans clocked. The message that Araujo is ready to own her brand without Rain wasn’t exactly subtle.
With Garcia’s most recent loss to Romero, talk of another rematch in December is starting to heat up. Garcia vows: “I’m gonna smack him. This time I’m showing up. This time, y’all are getting the real me.” Maybe luck will be on his side, and the third time will be the charm.
*photos by Joseph Cecil (https://www.instagram.com/joecec1l?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==)