Lamont Roach made big waves earlier this year when he went to a surprising draw with Gervonta “Tank” Davis in a fight many thought Roach deserved to win.
The long-discussed rematch doesn’t look like it’s going to happen, though, as Davis is reportedly going to face Jake Paul in a November exhibition bout.
Roach (25-1-2, 10 KO) didn’t waste any time calling out Davis for what he sees as a blatant duck of the rematch:
Roach, 30, may not be waiting too long for a big opportunity, though.
He says a fight Shakur Stevenson is now on his mind, and Stevenson says he’s totally open to making the fight happen:
Stevenson (24-0, 11 KO) would be defending his WBC lightweight title, if the sanctioning body approves of the matchup, which should be easy enough to get done. It may require Roach to officially vacate his WBA 130 lb title, which would allow the WBC to rank him at 135.
But that also just might not come into play, because “this other fight” the 28-year-old Stevenson references is one where he would move up to 140 to challenge Teofimo Lopez, which Stevenson doesn’t seem all that confident will happen. There’s no doubt that Teofimo vs Shakur would be a bigger money fight and bigger event than Shakur vs Roach, but the latter would be a fine “consolation” for Stevenson and for fans, and a deserved shot for Roach, who really looks like he’s come into his own at this point in his career.
If Lopez and Stevenson do fight, Roach could go back to 130 for a title defense, though the money options are limited, or he could, potentially, fight for an interim WBA title while Davis is busy with the Jake Paul business.
