For those still not sold on the idea that Lamont Roach Jnr has turned a significant corner and become a bona fide pound-for-pound contender, he says just keep watching.
The Washington D.C. product is coming off a March 1 draw against two-division titlist Gervonta “Tank” Davis in Brooklyn that most thought he won. Nevertheless, the even verdict provided the first blemish on Davis’ record as Roach is now bound for a second consecutive pay-per-view main event.
The reigning WBA 130lbs titlist – who challenged for Davis’ 135lbs belt – will once again move up in weight for his next fight. Roach will test the 140lbs waters when he meets WBC interim 140lbs titlist Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz 28-3-1 (18 KOs) in a December 6 PBC PPV headliner from Frost Bank Center, home to the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs.
“Some people might think he’s too rough and rugged for me, but they’re going to be in for a surprise,” Roach 25-1-2 (10 KOs) told BoxingScene on Tuesday. “I’m pretty strong, pretty mean. I got the tenacity of a killer in the ring. I’m going to be able to unleash that. I have what it takes to give ‘Pitbull’ the beating he hasn’t had yet. For sure.”
While Roach’s knockout ratio may not indicate such an outcome, consider what the WBA 130lbs titleholder accomplished by delivering a ninth-round power punch on Davis that left him on a knee in what should’ve been ruled a knockdown by referee Steve Wilkes.
Because it wasn’t – even as the reeling Davis visited his corner and was treated by a towel wipe – two scorecards came in 114-114, depriving Roach of the victory he worked for.
“To personally crown myself the winner, to know that I’m supposed to be the champion in a new weight class, and then not be, that definitely takes a toll,” Roach said. “But time goes on. I can’t get it back, so take the punches and roll on with it. Boxing has been like this for a long time. There’s not much we can do about it except head on with the [upward] trajectory of that to the next fight.”
Roach and Davis were supposed to stage an August rematch, but Davis was ensnared in legal trouble. There were brief talks of rescheduling the event, but it was scrapped altogether when Davis opted to take a lucrative November 14 exhibition fight against social media influencer and aspiring cruiserweight contender Jake Paul.
Asked if he believes he’ll ever meet Davis in a rematch, Roach said, “No, I don’t think so.”
Why?
“Because of who he is as a person, the possible results that can happen – a similar outcome. I don’t think he wants [another] stain on his record,” Roach said.
Whatever Davis opts to do with his career in 2026 is on him.
Roach assesses that by accomplishing what he did in Brooklyn and then affirming that effort with an impressive showing against Mexico City’s Cruz – a former WBA 140lbs titlist - he’ll be firmly entrenched among the elite circle of fighters at 135 and 140.
That list includes WBC 13lbs titlist Shakur Stevenson, current contender Abdullah Mason and 140lbs champions Teofimo Lopez (lineal and WBO) and Richardson Hitchins (IBF).
Asked if he’s done fighting as a super-featherweight, Roach said, “I’m not going to say, but more than likely. It’s going to take a lot to get me to 130. It’s not that I can’t make the weight. It’s what’s out there for me at lightweight and 140.
“We’ve got some plans. I hope you guys will all be along for the ride because it’s going to look real good for boxing, I’ll tell you that.”
Headlining the second consecutive pay-per-view (Prime Video, PPV.COM) gives Roach the exposure to elevate toward boxing’s A-list, but as he goes about his business in training, he knows it doesn’t happen unless he defeats Cruz, who also gave Davis fits when they met four years ago.
In 2019, Roach, 30, lost a unanimous decision to Jamel Herring in a bout for the WBO 130lbs title.
The loss was crushing to Roach, but it provided a powerful spark to continue his development and make him into the world champion he envisioned becoming.
He answered with knockout victories and two wide decision triumphs before decking Hector Luis Garcia in the 12th round in late 2023 to become world champion by split decision.
“It’s testament to how hard I work, putting myself to the test of what I want to accomplish. I took a slight dip in my career with the loss to Jamel Herring. It became a turning point. Once I turned over a new leaf, it was all she wrote,” Roach explained.
He said that beyond doubling down on sharpening his boxing intricacies and adding more strength, he leaned into “how I was raised and the way I am as a person. I’ve always been a competitor since I was a kid. Always wanted to win. Always wanted to be the best in whatever sport. You can tell from my accomplishments from the amateurs to now. I’m always at the top of the crop. Being complacent isn’t me. I’m always reaching for new heights, new goals and trying my best to achieve them.”
The high stakes of the Davis bout and this upcoming one are obviously present, but the motivation is internal.
“I push myself. There’s a lot of people who doubt and don’t see you as you see yourself,” Roach said. “That’s one of the things that gives me a kick, that definitely puts a chip on my shoulder and makes me run a little harder – to prove to myself that I’m the best. I want to make sure I set out to be who I say I’m going to be.
“I think about [what’s next], but not too much because defeating ‘Pitbull’ Cruz is my main objective. That’s the thing I think about the most, the thing I’m working very hard for so I can be able to attain this type of leverage I want for my boxing career.”
Roach knows enough about boxing history to know the canvas has been littered by fighters who can step up on one big night to produce a shocking outcome, and then diminish into the background.
It consumes him to sustain success, to become “top of the crop” amid his generation.
“Just to say that, it gives me chills. That’s exactly what I’m in it for. I want to be known as one of the greats. I have the skills, the will and all the intangibles to do so. As long as I trust my team and train hard and believe in God, I can do whatever I want to,” he said.
He’ll be less than three months removed from Terence Crawford’s impressive rise up two weight classes to defeat undisputed super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez in September when Roach moves up to 140lbs.
“Weight classes definitely matter – nine times out of 10, the great big man beats the great little man,” he said. “But Terence Crawford was the great little man who won. I want to be like that. I want to be the anomaly. Whether it be ‘Pitbull,’ or whatever fight is made when I’m smaller, I’ll step up to be the man like Terence Crawford.”
Lance Pugmire is BoxingScene’s senior U.S. writer and an assistant producer for ProBox TV. Pugmire has covered boxing since the early 2000s, first at the Los Angeles Times and then at The Athletic and USA Today. He won the Boxing Writers’ Association of America’s Nat Fleischer Award in 2022 for career excellence.
