Jordan Roach felt the impact of social media early in his career. That was more evident after his big brother, Lamont Roach Jnr, had a controversial fight with Gervonta “Tank” Davis, which ended in a draw.
The younger Roach will return Friday against Steveen Angeles Cruz at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C. The bout will stream on ProBox TV.
A decorated amateur with multiple national titles, Jordan, 22, is now 4-0 (1 KO) in the pros and set to make his return at home in Washington, D.C., after hearing vocal criticism of his previous performance, in which he won a six-round unanimous decision over former strawweight contender Garen Diagan. The criticism wasn’t just about his performance – some of it came in the form of harsh opinions about his brother. In one TikTok video alone, Jordan received 500 comments, mostly criticizing him or saying his brother would get knocked out by Davis.
“I was having a debate with my family, saying people nowadays have it harder,” Roach said. “Me, personally, I do not care. I know it is bored people sitting on their phones, looking for engagement coming home. As far as the people who are not as mentally strong as me, it is harder.”
The online animosity ramped up once the March 1 fight between his brother and Davis was announced. When Lamont fought Davis to a hard-fought draw, a knockdown was not counted. Most expected a rematch between Davis and Roach, but now Davis is scheduled to fight Jake Paul on November 14.
“I am getting things said about me, and I am the brother,” Jordan said. “Imagine what he is getting sent to him on a daily basis.”
Jordan is in a unique spot. Most fighters in his position are anonymous; sometimes, they even get more praise than they should based on amateur attributes. But he is making the transition to the pros at a time when his brother is becoming a star in the sport
“I feel the extra eyes and extra pressure,” Jordan said. “I always expected this, because I knew what was going to happen. I had been expecting it for years."
Cruz, 6-18-1 (1 KO), was knocked out in 41 seconds by Jordan Fuentes in July. A 31-year-old from McAllen, Texas, Cruz has been stopped in each of his past two fights.
Roach wants to hit the reset button against Cruz and shake off some of his dissatisfaction with the Diagan fight.
“That was my fourth fight, and he had an eight-week training camp for me,” Roach said of his most recent performance. “I did have a lackluster performance in my eyes. This fight, I am going to do better.”
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.
