Lamont Roach Jr went toe-to-toe with Gervonta Davis in a WBA lightweight title fight last March. The bout ended in a controversial majority decision draw, surprising many boxing fans who expected Davis to win easily.
The fight at Barclays Center in New York turned out to be much closer than anticipated. Roach gave as good as he got, going the full 12 rounds with 'Tank' Davis, who's known as one of boxing's biggest punchers.
During the ninth round, Davis voluntarily took a knee, but no knockdown was awarded. This added to the controversy surrounding the match's outcome.
In a recent interview on All The Smoke Fight with Andre Ward, Roach shared his thoughts on Davis's power. He said:
"When he actually hit me clean, I was like 'alright, if that happens again is it going to be like this? Let's test this out again.'"
Roach also revealed an interesting exchange between him and Davis during the fight. Davis said to him, "I thought you hit harder than that." Roach fired back, "I thought you hit harder than that, you're a knockout artist!"
After this exchange, Roach felt a boost in confidence. He told Ward:
"I went back to my corner and said 'I got him.'"
Surprisingly, Roach claims he's faced someone with even more punching power than Davis. This statement raises eyebrows, considering Davis's reputation as one of boxing's hardest hitters.
The unexpected outcome of their first encounter has sparked interest in a rematch. Fans can look forward to a second bout between Davis and Roach, expected to take place this summer.
You can watch Roach's full interview and hear more about his experience facing Davis on the All The Smoke Fight YouTube channel.
