R&B star Mario and former ‘Dancing With the Stars’ contestant Mario Lopez came together this week on Ryan Seacrest’s “On Air With Ryan Seacrest.” According to People, the two had mutual respect for each other despite recent rumors that the R&B singer had begun an off camera romance with his partner Karina Smirnoff who is currently dating Mario Lopez.

On air Mario shared respect for his partner’s boyfriend stating, “we kicked it a few times. Mario’s a cool guy. We have similar interests. I like boxing and he likes boxing.”

The rumored romance began in February, as reported by the New York Posts - Page Six after Smirnoff was spotted kissing Mario at a Mercedes-Benz Oscar viewing party at the Four Seasons hotel in LA. Mario denied the rumored romance last week but later said, “I’ve grown to love the person that she is, and you should feel that way about your partner!”

As for Lopez, the current host of MTV’s hit show “Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew,” the actor says he likes Mario’s dance floor determination. “The dances are all characters and telling a story,” he went on to tell Seacrest while Mario was on the line. “I’m really proud of him. He’s a great guy; really respectful.”

According to Lopez though, one of Smirnoff’s partners was not as respectful calling her previous partner heavyweight Floyd Mayweather “a handful.”

Mario can be seen on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars on Monday evenings at 8/7c and Tuesdays at 9/8c.