Lamont Roach Jnr is a solid junior lightweight. He’s been a contender – a fringe championship fighter – for many years.

He won the WBA title two fights ago, in 2023. I don’t think he’s great at any one thing or capable of turning a fight on its head. He’s not overly fast; he’s not overly strong; he’s not particularly gifted. What he is is an intelligent boxer, a cerebral fighter, well balanced, and a solid decision-maker. 

But I don’t believe that that makes him a pay-per-view-calibre opponent – especially when he’s challenging for a title above the division he’s been established at, and against a pay-per-view star who’s been fighting on pay-per-view for years. He’s inexperienced at the level he’s going to need to compete at against Gervonta “Tank” Davis – a level at which fighters are usually great at least one thing. 

Davis, after Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, is the biggest star in boxing in the west. Naoya Inoue might rival them in the east, but unlike Inoue, Davis and Alvarez regularly fight disappointing opposition. 

And yet the lightweight division, in 2025, is very good. Davis fighting Keyshawn Davis, Shakur Stevenson, William Zepeda, Raymond Muratalla, Andy Cruz or even Tevin Farmer would appeal more than the calibre of opponents he’s typically been matched with.

Premier Boxing Champions, Davis’ promoter, also need to recognise the need to make more competitive main-event fights. This is another fight focused on the short-term – the type that hasn’t helped them in the past, despite them so often having so many very good fighters signed to them. They may well make money from Davis winning fights like Saturday night’s, but long-term they’re damaging their own prospects. Sandor Martin-Alberto Puello, and Jose Valenzuela-Gary Antuanne Russell – on the undercard at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn – are much more appealing. 

Which isn’t to suggest that Davis’ opponents haven’t been down to him, above all else. Compare him with Dmitry Bivol – since beating Artur Beterbiev, Bivol’s been talking about his desire to enhance his legacy. Davis is capable of demanding the fights that would enhance his, so it’s difficult not to conclude he’s scared of getting beat, and about what that would do for his brand.

He’s a very, very good fighter. He’s got fast-twitch muscles; good reactions from his southpaw stance; is very powerful, and has a high ring IQ. We don’t yet know how high, because we’ve not yet seen him fight anyone capable of truly testing it, but he’s certainly smarter than most. His reluctance to test himself is arguably his biggest weakness.

Roach Jnr is too small and limited to test Davis. I respect Roach Jnr – he works very hard and he’s making the most of his abilities – but Davis should be aiming for higher or he shouldn’t be fighting on pay-per-view. I don’t expect to learn anything from Davis we didn’t learn when he beat Hector Luis Garcia in 2023 – and I expect him to win by knockout in the fifth or sixth round.

A week has passed since Stevenson-Josh Padley. Padley showed up to fight – he just wasn’t good enough to beat an elite champion. But I’m starting to fear we may never see the best of Stevenson, because of his hands. He’s an amazing, cerebral fighter – and one who wants to test himself. He has speed and is physically gifted, is patient, and has a particularly high IQ. I consider him the best lightweight in the world. But when a fighter hurts his hands as often as Stevenson does, it can really hamper their ability to be at their best. It affects the way fighters fight, and their timing and reactions. I really hope his don’t hold him back. 

Two weeks have passed since Keyshawn Davis defeated Denys Berinchyk, and proved that he’s the real deal. Berinchyk has lost some of his desire, but Keyshawn Davis made beating him look easy. He never let Berinchyk’s confidence grow and shut him down from the start. He also looks like a fighter who wants to make the best fights – and that he’s ready for them.