So about that rematch between WBA lightweight champion, Gervonta Davis, and Lamont Roach, that had been reportedly set to take place in Las Vegas on August 16, well...it looks like it has a new date and venue.
In the immortal words of Michael Gerard Tyson: 'bolivian'.
As of right now, it's not happening. Now, that doesn't mean that they won't square off again in the near (or far) future, but it's clear that this rematch isn't taking place in the late summer. And there really is no guarantee that it will happen, ever again. So with that said, sources tell SNAC.com that Roach -- who had been dutifully training -- has moved on, and his representatives have begun to actively look for other options for the early fall.
PBC
Back on March 1 at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, Roach came in as the prohibitive underdog against Gervonta Davis in what was thought to be, quite frankly, a bit of a mismatch. Roach was a solid enough fighter (good enough to win a title at 130) but he was moving up in weight against one of the best punchers in the sport.
But a funny thing happened on this night, 'Tank' did not squash this Roach. To the contrary, not only did the challenger box well, Roach gained confidence in the second half of the proceedings. Then you had the 'knee heard 'round the world' after Davis took a relatively light punch in round nine. But instead of being ruled a knockdown, Steve Willis, let him have an impromptu timeout.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsCmWZSASes
At the end of 12 rounds, the bout was ruled a majority draw. If the knockdown was called, Roach would've been the rightful winner. In the immediate aftermath of this bout, there was an abundance of controversy, not just over the scorecards, but the non-knockdown. (Eventually, a protest lodged by Roach and his representatives was turned away by the New York State Athletic Commission) Suddenly, this fight which was lampooned as a mismatch was gained significant traction as major podcasters talked about this bout and invited Roach onto their platforms.
There was a real buzz surrounding Tank-Roach II.
PBC
Funny how these things work in boxing. In a draw, Roach came out the winner in the eyes of the public. Let's make this clear, their first encounter wasn't necessarily a classic fight, but one that was intriguing and entertaining in its own way. Roach was expected to eventually succumb to the power of Davis much like Frank Martin and Hector Luis Garcia had in the past. Yeah, he was expected to win a few early rounds and then get folded like origami in the later rounds, especially since he was moving up in weight.
But it turns out the extra five pounds actually made him stronger and more stout. Roach never seemed truly shook by anything Davis landed, and his sharp counter-punching skills kept 'Tank' from just routinely marching in. Again, this wasn't a great fight that you'll watch over and over again, but one that held you captive as it was happening.
So with all that, suddenly a rematch was something that you marked on your calendar. Was this just a bad night for Davis, or Roach just a guy that will always trouble him, regardless? I don't know about you guys, but I was really looking forward to this second go-around.
PBC
Now, this being modern day boxing, there was no way that they would execute this by the early summer. Meanwhile, even after the mid-August date was being brandied about, you heard rumblings that Davis was still contemplating a bout with Jake Paul. But he did (allegedly) engage in a rematch with the mother of his two kids, which has brought about more legal proceedings for Davis. Even after this latest incident, there was still hope the rematch with Roach would take place. After all, before he faced Garcia in January of 2023, when he had some domestic 'issues' hanging over his head.
The last ditch hope for this fight to be announced was last weekend when the PBC staged Manny Pacquiao's return to the ring last weekend versus WBC welterweight champion, Mario Barrios. Alas, there was no announcement.
So it turns out, that there will be no summer rematch between these two Beltway rivals. Just a vacation.
