Lamont Roach Jr is relishing the prospect of helping to shine a light on fighters with similar roots to his when on Friday he fights Feargal McCrory.
They meet at the Entertainment and Sports Center in Washington DC and Roach defends his WBA super-featherweight title against his 31-year-old rival, and will do so in the knowledge that three fighters to whom he is close will by then already have fought and appeared on ProBox TV.
His younger brother Jordan makes his professional debut, against Luis Domingo Hernandez Cambero.
Benjamin Johnson, who like Roach Jr was also born in Washington DC, also makes his professional debut – against Michael Williams.
Similarly, Rianna Rios, who like Roach Jr lives in Upper Marlboro, is scheduled to fight Mary Romero in her eighth professional contest.
“This is going to be so big,” the 28 year old champion told ProBox TV’s “Deep Waters”. “On top of that I’m given a platform – I’m providing the platform for my little brother to make his pro debut at home. I’m providing the platform for Benjamin Johnson, who I look at as my little brother, at home, and those two have been the number one amateurs the last three to four years – maybe going back even further than that – as male amateur boxers.
“Not only that, my dad [Lamont Roach Sr] trains Rianna Rios, who’s opening up the main card. She’s having her first regional title fight. I’m so excited for that, because I want people to see what she got. This whole thing, I’m excited for, man.
“I’m very excited; very appreciative of this partnership with ProBox. They’ve given me and provided me with the platform to do what I set out to do, and the promise that I made to my fans and my family and friends to bring a championship fight back home to Washington D.C. I’m so grateful. I’m going to seize the moment.”
