Flyweight Jordan Roach is set to make his professional debut on the same card as his brother, Lamont Roach Jr., who will defend his WBA world junior lightweight title for the first time Friday at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C., on ProBox TV. Roach’s debut follows a recent disappointment after Roscoe Hill qualified in his division for the 2024 U.S. Olympic team.
Roach, 20, is eager to make a fresh start.
“In 2022, I made the USA Boxing team,” Roach said. “I had to do a selection. Didn’t make the selection, even though the guy [they picked] was hurt for real, barely sparring. But they chose him. I don’t really care.
“I just thought, ‘You gotta work harder, you gotta do better,” Roach said. “So 2023 comes around, I win my first fight, win my second fight. And then they tell me I got to do a rematch because the timekeeper messed up the time, and I beat that boy 5-0, pretty convincingly. It was two minutes, which was not my fault. I don’t know why I had to fight again.”
The rematch happened the next day. Roach believes he won but didn’t get the decision. His father and trainer, Lamont Roach Sr., who is also promoting Friday’s event, is excited for Jordan’s new path.
“It was disappointing that he had to go through that with USA Boxing, because it’s one thing to know somebody beat you and you know you lost,” Roach Sr. said. “The way his whole thing played out just left a bad taste in his mouth.
“It hurt because he knew he was real close. He knew he was the best 112 that could compete for USA. He’s been up in the camps. He’s been against the ones up there. He knew how he fared with them. He knew he should have been one of those and he felt like it was taken away from him.
“I knew it was hurting, but I didn’t know it was that bad,” Roach Sr. said. “Finally, I had a conversation with him about how he felt like somebody stole it from him. We tried to fight it through arbitration, but it didn’t go anywhere.”
Now Jordan is focused on his professional career.
“I’m going to show my level, and that they’re not on my level,” Roach said. “I’ve been fighting high-level guys since I started boxing. My first fight, they’re like 10. They already had like eight national champions, and I’ve never seen them lose ever. Throughout all the years, I’ve never seen them lose an amateur fight. I’ve always fought at the highest level. When you’re pro, you kind of take a step down a little. So I’m going to show that I’m up here and my opponent is down there.”
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