It has been quite a year for Lamont Roach Jnr. But the way he talks, it is no big deal. He is moving into a significant fight, against Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz in Texas on Saturday, and doing so having nearly sprung the shock of the year after a disputed draw with Gervonta “Tank” Davis.
Many felt Roach deserved to win, and had a knockdown that was not called been given in his favor, he would have.
A rematch was on tap for the summer, but it didn’t happen and Roach was left date-less until the Cruz fight materialised.
Cruz had always been on Roach’s list as a possible future foe.
“Yeah, he definitely was,” said Roach. “He was already on the radar. You know, it seemed as though things were a little shaky with the first fight [Tank negotiations]. So we had a few [options] just in case, you know? So he was definitely one of those names. I'm not going to have to look for him, so I'm very excited.”
“Pitbull” is a come-forward banger who loves to fight, while many question Davis’ affection for the sport now. Still, through the draw, Roach’s value only increased.
“Just speaking from a fighter’s perspective, if you fight a guy who’s recognized as one of the best in the world and you have a performance as such where the majority of the people think you won the fight – it was ruled a draw – you take what you can take from that fight. You capitalize and move on. And I think I capitalized very well moving on with the fight as such with ‘Pitbull’, such a high-profile fight and a dangerous fight as well. So I think my stock went up pretty well.”
Asked whether he was still mad about the knockdown that wasn’t, Roach replied: “Everyone is, but, you know, it's old news. I'm numb to it for sure. I was [angry about it] a few months ago, but I'm numb to it now.”
Time has passed.
Roach has stayed in the gym, he’s travelled and he’s been home playing video games, like Call of Duty and Battlefield. He’s also bringing up his four-year-old son.
“I just relax with my son,” he added. “Being a dad is a full-time thing. So, you know, I take him to school, all that stuff.”
Roach has also been on the road. Over the years, he’s boxed abroad as a top amateur but he’s seen plenty, taking in the sights of Bali, Jamaica – where he went for his dad’s birthday – Ukraine, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Japan features high on his bucket-list.
“I'm going after the fight,” he said “I want to go for the culture. I want to experience the food. I want to go shopping for sure. And, you know, just take part, take some time to just be a part of a different society, a different culture and embrace it and just reap the benefits of my labor.”
It has been a long time coming. Roach was not supposed to trouble Davis, but he is now recognized a top fighter and he takes on Cruz for the WBC’s interim super lightweight title. He feels that, finally, he has started to get his props.
“Oh, for sure. Yeah, that's what I've been working for my whole career,” he said. So I embrace it and I'm working hard to keep it.”
Davis had actually been criticised for facing Roach in some quarters. While those in the trade knew Roach could fight, and Davis would have known given their amateur history, more casual observers would have pointed to his lone loss – in 2019 – to Jamel Herring and not having millions of followers as a sign that he had no place in a fight of such magnitude.
Roach said he had seen a few observers backing him.
“I didn't see much before the fight,” he added. “I seen a few though. After the fight, I definitely see people lay claim to knowing as such, but I'm not really moved by it. I'm more so moved by what I do in the ring, personally. I'd rather people talk about how I performed and if I performed well, or if they thought I didn't perform well, whatever the case may be. But opinions don't really move me. I know my performance matters the most to me in the ring.”
It is how he performs that fuels his career. The 30-year-old from Upper Marlboro in Maryland is motivated by showcasing his talents and doing what others think he cannot.
“Competition, being the best,” he said of his drivers. “It's just me and my opponent in the ring. And I'm taking myself, I'm betting a thousand times over on myself, a thousand times, I’m very confident, very confident in my skills, my capability, my willpower. I believe in my savior. So, you know, I put my sword out and have my shield on my back and I'm ready.”
He said his desire to keep working, even without a date, was because of “unfinished business” and, 25-1-2 (10 KOs) as a pro, Roach is spearheading a talented young crop of fighters from his area.
He is the figurehead of a group that includes younger brother Jordan Roach and Benjamin Johnson.
“I think that's a great height to maintain,” Lamont said. “I'm honored and I just want to represent for the area. Let everybody know that they can do it too; push the ones that are coming up behind me for sure.”
Victory over Cruz and his momentum continues. He has an eye on the likes of Shakur Stevenson and Abdullah Mason and Raymond Muratalla.
“There's a lot of good fighters at our weight. And I'm just grateful for the landscape. And at 140, there's a good landscape too. And they're guys that love to fight. I think I'm in a pretty good spot right now. I'll be an interim world champion, the WBC interim world champion at 140 pounds after I win this fight, so that puts me in a conversation with a lot of champions at 140 and 135.”
Cruz, of course, comes first, and Roach knows exactly what to expect. The popular sawn-off Mexican is going to come out swinging.
“He's extremely good at being a gunner, coming forward, his grit, his will. He does that amazingly,” Roach admitted. “And I think that's his pinpoint skill. I think the fact that he's tough and all that stuff just goes together, but it boils all down to like really one thing.”
Roach is talking about Cruz’s aggression, but it’s his own passion for the sport that he thinks will lead him to the top of the mountain many think he deserved to scale in March.
Despite the trials and tribulations of the last few months, Roach is unmoved in how he feels about the sport.
“The passion is still there,” he insisted. “I love boxing and it probably won't ever go anywhere. Even after I retire, this is my sport. I embody boxing for sure.”
