Lamont Roach Jnr has put further doubt over his expected rematch with Gervonta “Tank” Davis in a recent interview on BoxingScene Today.
Roach fought to a controversial draw with Davis back in March with the WBA lightweight title on the line. Many believed Roach had done enough to win. This impression was underlined by Davis’ decision to take a knee midway through Round 9 and then walk to his corner, complaining that chemicals from his hair were flowing into his eyes. The referee Steve Willis belatedly decided not to rule a knockdown, which angered fans and Roach’s corner and sparked suggestions of bias towards Davis, the bigger star.
A rematch was called for almost instantly and negotiations were underway for the pair to square off again. An official announcement seemed imminent for Davis to rematch Roach on August 16 in Las Vegas, but it never came. Davis’ legal troubles, a charge for domestic violence that has since been dropped, put doubt over Davis’ presence in the ring anytime soon. Roach, like most fans, has been growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of communication from Davis’ side and told hosts Paulie Malignaggi and Jimmy Smith that he is now looking at other options.
“Well first off, the rematch don’t look like it’s happening,” said Roach on BoxingScene Today. “That’s just to put it out there and be transparent with everyone because that’s the only question I get 10 times a day, maybe even more. That’s what it is and that’s what it’s looking like, again, we haven’t heard from [Davis’] camp specifically when it comes to the business. It is what it is, as far as my future, we are moving on, we can’t afford to sit around and drag our feet, but there has been some recent news that his charges got dismissed in Florida.
Roach has held the WBA junior lightweight title since defeating Hector Luis Garcia back in November 2023, but has not defended his belt in over a year. James “Jazza” Dickens recently won the WBA interim title at 130lbs, and it looks as though Roach has no plans to return to the division.
“My body feels great at 135lbs, [with] that extra five pounds that I don’t have to lose,” he said. “I honestly feel like I’m growing into it. There has got to be a lot of money for me to come back and defend my belt at 130, or a very high profile fight, Right now it’s a miniscule possibility. We are going to fight before the year is over with. We’ve been doing our job in terms of the business thing. We are going to fight this year, whether it’s to stay busy or if it’s a big fight. The stay busy can be at home or it can be abroad.”
There are options for Roach according to his manager ProBox TV boss Garry Jonas, with both the PBC and Riyadh Season showing an interest in bringing Roach to their platform. WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson is one of the fights currently being discussed for Roach, but it is unlikely that would be his next contest. BoxingScene understands that Roach could feature on the undercard of the reported Sebastian Fundora vs. Keith Thurman PPV on October 25 in Las Vegas, with featherweight contender Luis Nunez also featuring on the card.
“I think apart from the rematch [with Davis] the best fight for me and the best fight for the division is me versus Shakur Stevenson,” said Roach. “And to be pretty honest, [Stevenson] said he would take the fight between me and him. We talk, and we definitely sat down and said, ‘We’ll do it, for sure’. He’s a competitor and he wants to show that he’s the best. He really doesn’t have any picks, like me, like for real, we will fight each other.”
And when would a fight with Stevenson likely be?
