There was a method to Lamont Roach Jnr’s perceived madness.
Questions arose immediately after the fight as to why the career-long junior lightweight chose to stand and trade Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz in his debut in the 140lbs division. Their 12-round battle, mostly fought at close range, resulted in a majority draw atop Saturday’s PBC on Prime Video pay-per-view event from Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.
The fight was far more physical than most expected, even though Roach, 25-1-3 (10 KOs), vowed to deliver such a performance. It wasn’t just so that he could let his nuts hang; rather a calculated effort by the former WBA 130lbs titlist, even after he suffered a flash knockdown in the 3rd round.
“As I figured out… everyone see that Pitbull fight one way,” Roach told reporters during their post-fight press conference. “So, when he did give me some leeway, I took it. I felt more comfortable in there, honestly.
“Boxing him was good. I was mixing it up. But when you get those opportunities to back up a pressure fighter – it’s something in them. They start wondering, “why is he not backing down, why is this not working”. You can tell the way he started skating around the ring and changing his gameplan up, I disrupted him.”
It wasn’t quite enough to sway any of the three judges, however. Chris Tellez (115-111) scored the contest for Cruz, 28-3-2 (18 KOs), while judges Nathan Palmer (113-113) and Cory Santos (113-113) had it dead even after 12 rounds.
Even though he didn’t want to hear it, his performance and even the outcome both served as a stock-raising type of night for Roach.
The 30-year-old from the greater Washington D.C. area fought in his third weight division in as many contests. He was two fights removed from his lone WBA 130lbs title defense, before he moved up and fought WBA lightweight titlist Gervonta “Tank” Davis, 30-0-1 (28 KOs) to a draw in March.
When plans for their rematch fell through, Roach opted to test his 5 ft, 10ins frame at junior welterweight. He was the heavier fighter throughout their respective camps, according to pre-fight weight checks as reported to the WBC and at their official weigh-in on Friday.
Cruz, of course, was the more comfortable at the weight, having fought at 140lbs since his knockout win over Rolando “Rolly” Romero to win the WBA title last March.
That mattered little to Roach, who saw something in Cruz’s game that he knew he could exploit. He still had to overcome adversity, however, to arrive at that point.
Roach was ruled down in Round 3 when he touched his glove to the canvas in an effort to steady himself after getting cracked on the chin. The sequence resulted in a 10-8 round for Cruz, though the advantage nullified when the Mexico City native was deducted one point in Round 7 for excessive holding and hitting.
By that point, Roach was a one-handed fighter – having suffered a possible fracture to his right hand, which he first realized after the 5th round. He was unable to determine exactly when it occurred but was still determined to stand and trade – and, at times, bully the bully.
“I was winning rounds and that was after I broke my hand,” noted Roach. “I was controlling the pace, especially when I turned the tide. I was making him miss, making him pay. I was catching him with shots in between. Making him hold during those moments.”
Roach’s decision to be more aggressive than normal was welcomed by the passionate crowd of 10,230 on hand at the home of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs. His spirited effort, coupled with the stalemate, has created demand for the two to run it back.
Both boxers were receptive to the idea but Roach will first have to allow his right hand to fully heal before he resumes his career. Even still, he was pleased with what he was able to deliver that type of performance at less than full capacity for the final seven rounds of the fight.
There is no question that he will offer the same do-whatever-it-takes gutsy effort if there is a chance to run it back with Cruz.
What he would like to see is for a set of ringside officials who appreciate his in-ring effort more so than the six judges who’ve scored his past two contests.
“I can’t fight my opponent and the judges,” stated Roach. “It’s just… it’s something we gotta do about it. I think I won, I think I outboxed him.
“All I need is an even playing field.”
