Jordan Roach had said he was “excited to start dropping people” – that the smaller gloves and lack of headgear in professional boxing would further allow the junior bantamweight prospect to spotlight his skills.
And that’s what he got to do on Friday night in front of a hometown crowd in Washington, D.C. Roach, a 20-year-old from Maryland, had his pro debut on the undercard of Lamont Roach Jr. – Jordan’s older brother – defending his junior lightweight world title against Feargal McCrory.
Jordan Roach knocked veteran opponent Luis Domingo Hernandez Cambero two times en route to a four-round unanimous decision.
“We came in there, we got the win and showed that we are one of the best – one of the best prospects to come out of the area, one of the best prospects to come out of the United States, and one of the best prospects in the world,” Roach told media members in a post-fight interview.
Cambero is now 15-13-1 (10 KOs) and has been stopped in 11 of those defeats.
“He was what I expected. He just had a better chin than I thought,” Roach said.
Roach can take solace in the fact that Cambero’s sturdier chin on Friday night may be from being a naturally heavier fighter; Cambero’s career has largely been at bantamweight and junior featherweight, while Roach is closer to a flyweight.
Nevertheless, after knockdowns scored in Rounds 2 and 3, Roach wanted to earn an early night in the fourth.
“I tried to get it. Those little flurries wasn’t really to do nothing. They was just to probably see if the ref would stop it, but at the end it ain’t work, so we went back to the game plan,” he said. “I was not frustrated. Some people don’t go. I said in one of the interviews that if he got a chin, he’s gonna get beat up. And that’s what happened.”
Roach had Lamont Jr. at ringside giving him advice.
“He was telling me off the roll to come back with a punch. I saw it a couple of times. I threw it a couple of times,” Jordan said. “That’s my brother, man. He knows how to fight. He’s been with me since I was little, so he knows what punches to throw, he knows what I do, he knows what works. He’s a world champion for a reason.”
This evening was what Jordan Roach envisioned. Fighting underneath his brother was also something he always knew was coming, given what Lamont Jr. had long told him.
“I knew this was going to happen. This is what he dreamed of,” Jordan said. “He told us that since I was little. ‘That boy is going to be something special.’ That’s always what he said. That’s what I strive to be. I strive to be better than my brother, and that’s a hard thing to do, because I fight under him as a world champ.”
There’s still plenty of time and work to be done for Roach to get there. He’ll be back in the gym as soon as possible to focus on what to improve.
“Everything,” Roach said. “Going back, staying sharp, better conditioning, polishing up the tools. You could say I made a lot of rookie mistakes in there. Pulling back, I was getting caught with them dumb pecky little jabs on the way back. Just certain stuff that I need to work on, but I already know it. I didn’t even need to rewatch the fight.”
Roach wants to remain as active as he can be in this early stage of his pro career.
“Even if I’m not active, I’m always in the gym. Whatever opportunities arise, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to give it my all,” he said. “I believe we’re going to make a statement every fight.”
Follow David Greisman on Twitter @FightingWords2. His book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
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