Benjamin Johnson is keen to use his gym’s momentum vs Gil Garcia

Training alongside Lamont Roach Jnr ahead of his March 1 fight with Gervonta Davis has given welterweight Benjamin Johnson additional motivation.

Johnson will meet Gil Garcia on Friday night at the ProBox TV Events Center near Tampa, Florida.

Johnson, 19, trains at the NoXcuses Boxing Gym with Lamont Roach Snr, father of Lamont Jnr, and his teammate Jordan Roach, who will fight on the same card. Johnson, of Springdale, Maryland, has yet to see the second round in two professional fights. He has no plans on hearing the second bell for this fight, either.

“We all have been getting better as a team,” Johnson said. “I just want to show that I’ve been getting better and showcase my skills. I can’t really say too much, but just showing my skills and that I am getting better.”

Watching his peer, Roach Jnr, the current WBA junior lightweight titleholder, train for a high-profile fight has provided the proper motivation to break up the monotonous nature of training each day.

“We are all pushing each other to get better,” said Johnson, 2-0 (2 KOs).

His opponent, Garcia, is a 38-year-old veteran from Houston with a 5-8-1 (1 KO) record. Johnson, who was a top amateur, has set goals for himself leading into each fight.

“That’s how I stay focused – I try to work on one little thing at a time,” Johnson said. “I just stay focused on that, and as long as I am doing that, I’m going to get better at the end of the day.”

When asked about his expectation for the fight, Johnson was coy but confident.

“To go in there, show my skills and what we have been working on in the gym,” Johnson said. “Keep doing what I’ve been doing. That’s my expectations.”

Lucas Ketelle took an unconventional path to boxing, eventually finding his stride in gyms and media. For the past decade, he has hosted the “Lukie Boxing” podcast, filmed training camps for fighters like Arnold Barboza Jnr, Mikey Garcia and Caleb Plant, and worked with top professionals such as Mike Bazzel. Ketelle is also an author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for ProBox TV, BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @LukieBoxing.