Lamont Roach Jr. vs Gervonta Davis: WBA World Lightweight Title

Lightweight world champion Gervonta "Tank" Davis (30-0), one of the best in the world, defends his title against his friend Lamont Roach Jr. (25-1-1), the current WBA super featherweight world title holder, who will move up in weight in hopes of becoming the lightweight world champion.

Lamont Roach hadn't much power at super featherweight, so it won't be different at lightweight. He has to win with his boxing skills alone. He has excellent balance. He tires his opponents by targeting their bodies to hurt. He does a good job keeping his distance while protecting his head. Step forward, jab, step forward, jab, body, head, body, body, body. He has a good sense of rhythm, which makes him fun to watch. Throughout the fight, his accumulated punches to the body weaken his opponent so much that it makes them complacent to attack him, as they focus on protecting their body from further onslaught; however, Roach is so good in the art of distraction that he hits the body anyway. If Gervonta Davis isn't careful, Lamont Roach Jr. can steal this fight from him. 

Gervonta Davis has had some tough fights before, in which he was behind the scorecards, only to come back with a knockout victory. He could get outboxed if he's not careful. Lamont can make another boxer look bad. He's more than capable of giving Davis some trouble.

The primary challenge Roach faces is the disparity in strength. He must resist the temptation to engage in a punch-for-punch exchange with Davis, as Davis is a skilled fighter. If Roach manages to maintain his distance, relying on his jab and powerful body blows, he could potentially secure a decision.

The problem is that it's very difficult to keep Gervonta Davis off Bay for very long. He somehow finds his way through the defense, smothering his opponents with high-volume punches into the ropes. He intentionally inflicts pain with every punch.

Despite Lamont Roach Jr. being capable of keeping Davis at bay, it would be very difficult for him to sustain enough activity to discourage him from moving forward; therefore, I must pick Davis to somehow pull this fight off with a hard-fought, late knockout. If Davis doesn't knock Roach out, he could lose a decision. 

With a knockout percentage of over 90%, Gervonta Davis will always go for a knockout. He doesn't like to leave it to the judges to decide the outcome of the fight. He will undoubtedly look to knock out Lamont Roach Junior.

Gervonta Davis wins by knockout between the 8th and 11th rounds, as the cumulative effect of his punches wears out Roach.

Event Date: Saturday, March 1st, 2025