by Keith Idec
THE two-way odds for his fight with Gervonta “Tank” Davis have Lamont Roach even more motivated than usual.
The handicappers have placed Davis as an unsightly 16-1 favorite to beat Roach in their WBA lightweight title fight on March 1 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Roach realizes a lot of people will be surprised if he upsets one of boxing’s biggest stars on a Premier Boxing Champions pay-per-view show distributed by Amazon’s Prime Video.
Roach also acknowledges that Davis is not among those underestimating him ahead of their 12-round, 135-pound title fight. The Upper Marlboro, Maryland native believes Davis chose him as his next opponent when IBF lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko pulled out of a deal to fight on Nov. 2 because he wants a tough fight, not an easy assignment as the odds suggest.
Davis, 30, and Roach, 29, fought twice as amateurs in 2011. They also sparred several times before and after Davis won those two bouts, all before turning professional and closely following the each other’s career as fighters from “The DMV”, the greater Washington, DC area.
Roach 25-1-1, (10 KOs) expressed appreciation for this career-changing opportunity at a press conference Tuesday in Brooklyn. He also urged anyone who thinks Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) has anything but an extended, difficult fight.
“Like (Davis) said, this is a hell of an opportunity,” Roach said. “You know what I’m saying? Well, we’ll get it. Everyone knows what I come here to do. If you don’t, then you’re in for a surprise. I know he won’t be surprised. I think he really took that fight for the naysayers and all that and all that. People were talking about the fight.
“I think he took the fight because he knows I’m a dog and he wants to prove his skills against a dog. Well, I’m going to show you all what happens when two dogs get in the ring together. And I’ll be the one – obviously, I’ll be the one who comes out victorious. And, you know, I’m going to put on one hell of a show for everybody.”
Davis grimly predicted a ninth-round knockout, an outcome Roach laughed off. The powerful southpaw from Baltimore acknowledged that Roach, who is undefeated in 27 professional bouts, has “sneaky power,” a trait Roach displayed when he dropped Nautical southpaw Hector Luis Garcia 16-2, (10 KOs, 3 NC ) at 12u bout round Roach won by split decision in November 2023 to capture the WBA super featherweight title at Mandalay Bay’s Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas.
“Skillfully, I bring a lot to the table,” Roach said. “I can adapt. I can fight different, different styles. I’m tough, I’m rough, I’m smart, I’m witty. Whatever the case, whatever I have to do to win, that’s what I’m going to do. … The rest were either one-trick ponies or just not up to it.”
