Lamont Roach Jnr is ready to silence anyone who doesn’t believe he should be fighting Gervonta “Tank” Davis.
Roach, a 29-year-old junior lightweight titleholder, grew up in Washington, D.C., and knows Davis well. They fought in the amateurs together. Roach’s trainer and father, Lamont Roach Snr, has seen Davis evolve into the star he is today. None of that matters in the final weeks of camp, as the mood between the sides is tense and serious.
“My mindset is to beat his ass,” Roach Jnr told BoxingScene.
Roach won his title against Hector Luis Garcia in November 2023, on the undercard of David Benavidez’s stoppage of Demetrius Andrade. Roach made one defense, against Feargal McCrory on ProBox TV, before getting one of the biggest fights a boxer could land against Davis.
“This camp is different because I feel like they are counting me out,” said Roach, 25-1-1 (10 KOs).
With the prevalence of detractors on social media, any fighter could conceivably position themselves in the role of underdog. In Roach’s case, though, he truly has been dismissed by many in this matchup.
Baltimore’s Davis, 30, is widely viewed as a top-10 pound-for-pound fighter, and Roach is the naturally smaller man, coming up from 130lbs to meet Davis at 135. Davis’ reputation as a puncher is reflected in his record, 30-0 (28 KOs), and the way opponents reliably retreat when met by his fists. He is coming off a knockout win over Frank Martin, his lone appearance in 2024, and a knockout of Ryan Garcia a year earlier.
Roach will have to find his own edge in the matchup, which may have to be psychological rather than physical.
“Biggest motivations for the fight are being able to show I’m really one of the best fighters in the world,” Roach said, “and the fact that after I win, my life and my family’s lives will change drastically for the good.”
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.
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