Lamont Roach may have given Gervonta Davis all he could handle, but ‘Tank’ doesn’t see anything special in the former junior lightweight champion.
Roach faced Isaac Cruz on Saturday in his first appearance since fighting Davis (30-0-1, 28 KOs) to a controversial draw on March 1 in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. Initially, Davis agreed to an immediate rematch with Roach, before ultimately choosing to partake in an exhibition with Jake Paul. After more domestic violence allegations against Davis came to light, the Paul fight was scrapped.
At Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, Roach (25-1-3, 10 KOs) was knocked down and fought a close contest with Cruz, settling for his second majority draw of the year. In the aftermath of the fight, Davis gave some very brief thoughts on Roach.
“He’s a gatekeeper,” Davis said on his X account. “That’s it.”
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Roach, 30, was forced to play catch-up against Cruz after touching the canvas in the third round. To his credit, he fought well in the pocket. Cruz, who lost a close decision to Davis in 2021, was deducted a point in the seventh after a kidney punch.
This may not be the last time Cruz (28-3-2, 18 KOs) and Roach see each other in the ring. At the post-fight presser, they sat side-by-side. Each man stated their case for why the scorecards should have been in their favor. Nevertheless, in the midst of those discussions, they both agreed to a prompt rematch.
That sequel, however, will take time after it was revealed Roach suffered a broken right hand in the fifth round.
