Gervonta “Tank” Davis promised he’d do the usual on Saturday versus Lamont Roach. Midway through, though, it was clear that Roach didn’t come to Barclays Center to “win” by going the distance. No, the DC hitter showed a skill set that matched up well with WBA lightweight champ Davis, who got caught with the quick Roach right hand and crisp counters for twelve rounds atop the PBC Prime PPV event. Would the judges see it as so many in press row did, a win for the ‘dog? A draw is what they saw. The scores were 115-113 for Davis, 114-114, and 114-114, a majority draw, and the assembled in the arena made it clear they didn’t agree.
TANK’s reaction is all of us after that call 🤯‼️ #TankRoach pic.twitter.com/FPiTjSAsD1
— Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) March 2, 2025
The card attracted 19,250 persons, breaking the record set by Davis versus Rolly Romero at 18,970. This is the second-highest grossing event for any event at the building, for the record.
Tank afterwards said he thought he was breaking Roach down. He called Lamont a great fighter and said he’d welcome a rematch. “Let’s bring it back,” he said. Roach told Brian Campbell after that he showed his true worth. Yes, he’s disappointed, but he thought both showed their craft. “We can run it back,” he said.
The Baltimore product Davis entered at 30-0, with 28 KOs, while Roach, from DC, was 25-1-1.
BLOW BY BLOW 🥊#TankRoach pic.twitter.com/9KTUapH7Cy
— Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) March 2, 2025
The 30-year-old Davis, coming off a win over Frank Martin on June 15, 2004, has been talking about retiring for the last few months. Is that idle talk, maybe to gain leverage in a negotiation? Who knows—but we now wonder if his talk is truly indicative of a lack of love for the sport.
In the first, we saw the lefty Tank wait and watch, and the same for Roach. No one was going to get sloppy, opening up too early. Roach especially needed to see about that power. In round two, Roach edged forward, super cautious, while Tank watched, mainly moved to his left, and sifted data. They edged closer and hugged some late in the second.
In the third, Tank got the straight left going to the body a few times. He wanted Roach to drop the rear hand and come with the left hook or overhand left. More data collection, but more pressure from Tank. In the fourth, Tank got more comfortable and busier still. The jab pumped, and Tank slid, looking to clown a bit. Roach nailed him, though, and the crowd liked the drama.
Roach Not Backing Down
In the fifth, Tank wanted Roach to drop his hands. He hammered low to get a better look up top. Lamont jawed and looked nasty late in the round. Would this turn into a little grudge fest rumble? We saw a replay when Tank did a shoulder bump in a clinch. To the sixth—the Roach jab looked sharp. But Tank moved more this round, and his bodywork was working. In the seventh, Roach’s right hand impressed the crowd. He was there to be bold and not back down.
In the eighth, we saw Roach being a smart ring general. He saw what was coming and did what he had to avoid getting whacked. The crowd liked the underdogs spirit, for sure. Counter right by Roach and left uppercut by Roach were the best punches of the round. In the ninth, Tank took a knee. No point taken, though? What was that? To the tenth: Roach stayed smart, and Tank stayed off his best. Tight round; I thought Roach took it.
“You take knee like that, it looks like a knock down.”
No. It is a knockdown. #Boxing#BOXINGnBBQ#DavisRoach
pic.twitter.com/JaTVWdfnXm— BOXING n BBQ (@BOXINGnBBQ) March 2, 2025
Round 11 saw back and forth, and referee Steve Willis told Tank to chill. Another tight one; Roach maybe did more. To the 12th—they jawed, Roach didn’t get lured into a firefight. We went to the cards; oh my, what would they say?
My Three Cents: Roach won without winning. But I thought he won 8-4, 7-5 at worst. And Tank took a knee, so he deserved an extra point. Rematch, late summer, do it again!
Discover more from Fights Around The World
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
