Lamont Roach says his upcoming December 14th conflict towards WBA light-weight champion Gervonta Davis can be “Battle of the 12 months.” The World Boxing Affiliation tremendous featherweight champion Roach (25-1-1, 10 KOs) states that he’s not going to be “scared” getting in there towards the unbeaten Gervonta (30-0, 28 KOs), and he’ll be doing what he should to win.
Followers view this can be a 100% mismatch, as Roach has by no means crushed anybody high-level, and misplaced to Jamel Herring. His wins since his defeat to Herring have come towards largely unknown fighters of marginal expertise. He by no means avenged his loss to Herring.
Roach edged Hector Garcia by a 12-round cut up choice after he was knocked out by Tank, which provide you with a sign the extent that Lamont is combating at. He simply barely beat Hector, a fighter that Tank destroyed
Curiously, Roach says PBC first contacted him two years in the past about being an opponent for Tank Davis for his January seventh, 2022 date in Washington, D.C. PBC needed Roach again then as Tank’s challenger for his WBA 135-lb belt. As a substitute, they selected Hector Garcia, who was the WBA tremendous featherweight champion on the time.
PBC had been considering when it comes to Tank-Roach being a regional sort of struggle that might entice followers from Baltimore, Maryland and the close by Washington, D.C. The concept could be to get followers from that space excited about buying tickets and shopping for that regional match on PPV.
If sufficient of them purchased the occasion, it could outweigh the low curiosity from the remainder of the U.S, which might view this struggle as one other cherry decide sort of struggle for Tank. Most of his profession has been towards rigorously chosen opposition, lesser guys like Rolly Romero.
“That is going to be a Battle of the 12 months sort of struggle, as a result of clearly I’m not coming in scared. I’m not coming in to put down. I’m not coming in there to do none of that. I’m coming in there to do what I obtained to do to get my hand raised,” mentioned Lamont Roach Jr. to Bagfuel about his struggle towards Gervonta Davis on December 14th.
This WON’T be any “Battle of the 12 months” match until Tank Davis taking it straightforward on Roach as a result of they know one another, and journey in the identical circles. Roach has nothing to supply Tank when it comes to energy, expertise and expertise.
Roach is arguably a paper champion, the weakest hyperlink at tremendous featherweight, and is totally overmatched towards Tank. Certainly, just about all the high ten contenders at light-weight would beat Roach. 20-year-old prospect Abdullah Mason would destroy Roach. He’s so overmatched on this struggle towards Tank that it’s not even humorous.
“So, whenever you say, ‘That caliber of fighter,’ I already imagine I’m it. All I obtained to do is come to compete. Everyone else goes to see it,” mentioned Roach about his plans for the Tank struggle.
“I’ve been within the Tank sweepstakes two years in the past. A fighter’s greatest paycheck round our weight class goes to be towards [Tank Davis]. Within the Tank sweepstakes, you struggle Tank, and also you’re clearly going to get a bag [non-slang translation: a lot of money].”
So there it’s. PBC has needed Roach as Tank’s opponent for 2 years, and it’s so off-putting as a result of there have been much better fighters for him to struggle in 2022, like Vasily Lomachenko. As a substitute, Roach was being eyed as an opponent for Tank.
“I obtained a name from their facet of the promotion, PBC, two years in the past earlier than he fought Hector Garcia, they usually requested me if I needed to struggle,” mentioned Roach. “The struggle was in D.C. So, they was like, ‘Tank doesn’t have an opponent but. How would you prefer to be the opponent to come back right down to?’ ‘S***, yeah.’
“I wasn’t a champ on the time, and Hector was a champ. So that they fought Hector, and I used to be the necessary for Hector. I used to be imagined to struggle Hector if he didn’t do a voluntary protection,” mentioned Roach.
