Fighting Words: Gervonta Davis-Lamont Roach isn’t ideal, but neither are the circumstances

We want the steak, but it looks like we may have to settle for the fish.

It’s not the main course we were hoping for, but it shouldn’t leave a bad taste in our mouths. Not given the circumstances, at least. And it’s certainly better than going hungry.

That’s the situation with Gervonta “Tank” Davis’ next fight, which could wind up putting the WBA lightweight titleholder against WBA junior lightweight titleholder Lamont Roach Jr. Nothing is official yet, but boxing reporter Dan Rafael recently said it is possible for a December 21 pay-per-view, while Mike Coppinger of ESPN said Roach is the frontrunner for landing the fight.

It’s fair to be disappointed in that news. 

It’s fair to want better opponents for Davis. 

It’s unfair to blame Davis — at least not this time.

Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) has become one of the biggest stars in boxing by virtue of his obvious talent and captivating performances where his skills and ring savvy and fight-changing power are on display. A video of Davis’ eighth-round win over Frank Martin on June 15, posted by Premier Boxing Champions on July 15, has racked up 5.8 million views on YouTube.

Martin was undefeated and ranked in the top 10 in the lightweight division going into that bout. There have been other respectable foes taken on and taken out by Davis in the past few years, some of which look even better in hindsight, such as Tank’s 11th-round technical knockout of Mario Barrios in June 2021 and a unanimous decision over Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz in December 2021. 

Barrios, a junior welterweight at the time, has since moved up to 147, defeated Yordenis Ugas, and been bestowed a world title. Cruz went up to 140 and dethroned Rolando Romero, another past Davis victim, for the WBA belt. Cruz recently lost that title to Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela. (More on Valenzuela a little later in this column.)

Yet boxing fans have wanted to see Davis go beyond the second tier and test his talent against the other top names at 135. There have been many reasons those fights haven’t happened over the years.

This time, they just weren’t available.

The other world titles belong to Vasiliy Lomachenko (IBF), Shakur Stevenson (WBC) and Denis Berinchyk (WBO). Negotiations between Davis and Lomachenko came to an end when Lomachenko’s team said he didn’t want to get back in the ring for the remainder of the year, that he didn’t feel motivated to fight and preferred to spend time with his family. 

That news was disappointing though not completely surprising, given Lomachenko’s lengthy career dating back to his extended time in the amateurs, given what we’d heard from him and also what little we’d seen of him.

Lomachenko fought just once in 2022, winning a decision over Jamaine Ortiz. He fought just once in 2023, challenging Devin Haney for the undisputed lightweight championship and dropping a close decision that some feel could have gone Lomachenko’s way. And he will end 2024 having fought just once, stopping George Kambosos Jr. in May for the vacant IBF belt.

In a post-fight interview, Lomachenko dedicated the victory to his father, who played such a significant role in his career.

“This is title for him, because after Haney I want to finish my boxing career,” Lomachenko said. “After this fight with Haney, I proved to myself in this sport and I don’t need to continue. But my father, every day he sends me news with me, and every time he send my last fights, highlights, and I feel he want to continue, he want the title again. And he tell me, ‘Hey, we need to do one more time this one. We need to do fight again for title.’ And it was hard decision for me because I’m tired. But I love my family. I love my father. I respect my father. My father built me in boxing, in life. And this is title. This is win for my father.”

Stevenson, a free agent after departing from Top Rank, ultimately signed with Matchroom and announced a fight with former junior lightweight titleholder Joe Cordina on the October 12 undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitriy Bivol. Stevenson then got hurt in training and had to pull out of the Cordina fight. He’s expected back in 2025.

Berinchyk doesn’t carry the name value or appear to have the attributes that Lomachenko and Stevenson do.

William Zepeda, who is ranked as the No. 1 contender for all four major world titles, initially turned down a fight with Stevenson, reportedly because his wife was due to give birth. But Zepeda has since signed for a November fight with former junior lightweight titleholder Tevin Farmer.

Some thought Cruz would get a rematch with Davis. Cruz was competitive with Davis in their first bout and is one of only two men to last the distance with Tank. (It should be noted here that Davis was fighting through a hand injury.)

That belief disappeared the moment Cruz lost to Valenzuela in August. Would Valenzuela not only seize Cruz’s title, but also inherit the opportunity?

“I have a rematch clause [with Cruz] right now, so waiting on that, but if not there’s Teofimo [Lopez] and the other [140-pound] champions,” Valenzuela recently told FaceOfBoxingTV. As for rumors that he’d turned down a fight with Davis? “It wasn’t really an offer. It was more like I was just asked about Tank. I said, not at ’35, and we never really dove into it. There was no details or nothing. I don’t know if you consider that an offer, but that’s what happened.”

Valenzuela had fought in the 135-pound weight class for most of his career, and he was a lightweight as recently as last December. But he cannot be faulted if he feels junior welterweight is better for his body. Nor can Davis be faulted if he wishes to remain a lightweight right now, even though he went up to 140 before for the Barrios bout.

That leaves Davis with few options, and none particularly alluring among lightweights. Once you get past the three other titleholders and Zepeda, the rest of the rankings from The Ring magazine and the Transnational Boxing Ratings Board are mostly made up of prospects who are still developing (Raymond Muratalla, Keyshawn Davis, Andy Cruz, Zaur Abdullaev), or guys who recently fell short (Kambosos and Martin).

Edwin De Los Santos is unranked by those observers, but he’s rated by the WBA and would therefore be allowed to challenge for the belt. De Los Santos scored a knockout over Valenzuela in 2022 — though he’d also hit a downed Valenzuela one round earlier. His last fight, however, was a decision loss to Stevenson in November 2023.

With not much available at 135, that leaves room for Roach to enter from just down the road at 130. And from down the road in Washington, D.C.

That’s one more reason to make this fight.

If Tank can’t get a match made with any of the top lightweights, and if he doesn’t want to remain inactive for the remainder of 2024, then a bout with Roach is an acceptable substitute. Or it’s at least as good as we’re going to be able to get, even if it isn’t going to satisfy us the same way that the steak dinner would have.

Roach (25-1-1, 10 KOs) has won six straight since his lone loss, a decision dropped to Jamel Herring in 2019. His biggest victory came last November, when Roach topped Hector Garcia by split decision to win a world title. Garcia is another former foe of Tank’s; Davis stopped him in nine rounds in January 2023 up at lightweight, about 10 months before Garcia lost to Roach.

Roach’s improvement has been enjoyable to watch. It’s still hard to picture him giving Tank too much trouble. But the fight can be made and hosted in Davis’ native Baltimore or, more likely, in D.C. itself. While that’s Roach’s hometown, it’s also where Davis headlined for the Hector Garcia fight. The fight will do well at the box office.

Pay-per-view is another question. Davis is one of the biggest stars in the United States. Some may purchase the broadcast just to see him perform; the opponent factors less, if not at all, into their consideration. For others, the prospect of Davis vs. Roach may be intriguing enough to tune in but not enough to shell out.

Boxing fans can and should speak with their wallets. Just because a fight is on doesn’t mean you have to buy it. If you really don’t want the fish, you can choose not to eat in the restaurant until the steak is available again.

As for Davis, just because a big fight isn’t available doesn’t mean he should wait on the sidelines. I’d rather Tank get back on the battlefield, even if it’s just to blow through and roll over an outgunned foe. That’s better than sitting around and collecting rust.

David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2 and @UnitedBoxingPod. He is the co-host of the United Boxing Podcast. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.