By: Sean Crose
Can Lamont Roach shock the world when he faces the one and only Gervonta “Tank” Davis at Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Center on Saturday night? Probably not, but this is boxing, where anything seems capable of happening. Besides, even though he isn’t seen as being a premiere talent like Shakur Stevenson, there’s no doubt that is talented nonetheless. At 29 years of age, the Washington DC native has accumulated a record of 25 wins against one lose and one draw. What’s more, Roach can be exciting when the moment calls for it. Just ask Feargal McCory, Roach’s last opponent.
After showing off some considerable defensive skills behind a high guard and landing punishing and accurate blows, Roach stopped McCory in the eighth last June- this after scoring three knockdowns on his man. Of course, McCory isn’t a name fighter like Ryan Garcia or Rolando Romero, both of whom who have been stopped by Davis. Sure enough, Roach’s most notable opponent was arguably Jamel Herring, who bested Roach by decision late in 2019. On top of that, Davis is a vehicle of destruction. All but two of the man’s thirty opponents have been stopped within the distance, after all. Sure enough, there’s a reason the Baltimore native is popular.
Can Roach survive the blistering power, speed and accuracy of Davis? Many, if not most, would argue he can’t. Again, though, this is boxing, a sport where seemingly anything can happen. Indeed, anyone can have a bad night. Tank, though, has yet to have one. Whatever one can say about Davis there’s little doubt that he is a thoroughly focused and disciplined competitor. There’s more to the guy than talent. Showing up mentally and physically on point is what really makes all the difference – at least that’s proven to be the case with Davis.