Eddie Hearn Supports Tank Davis' Decision to Face Lamont Roach Jr. in December

Hearn explains why, in spite of criticism from fans, the WBA lightweight champion had few choices for his next bout because the top contenders were unavailable

Gervonta "Tank" Davis will take on Lamont Roach Jr. in his next match, on December 14 / Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Via Getty Images.

By Miriam Onyango

Eddie Hearn, the promoter, is not perturbed by Gervonta "Tank" Davis' selection of Lamont Roach Jr., a super featherweight, as his opponent on December 14. He believes the absence of the major names left Tank (30-0, 28 KOs) with no choice but to compete in December.

Hearn claims that Tank, the WBA lightweight champion, had no choice but to avoid these fighters for various reasons. Ryan Garcia is suspended; Shakur Stevenson is injured; Isaac "Pitbull" Cruz was recently beaten; Devin Haney: Overcome Vasily Lomachenko: Made the decision to miss the rest of 2024.

Tank Davis has the option to fight Edin De Los Santos, Andy Cruz, Keyshawn Davis, and Raymond Muratalla, but none of them are as well-known as Lamont Roach. There wouldn't be a spike in PPV purchases over Tank Davis' choice of Roach even if he had chosen one of them, and casual boxers wouldn't know who they are.

“I think the online reaction is a little bit unfair. Everybody hates the fight, but Lamont Roach is a good fighter. The problem is no one knows who he is, and with Tank’s position in the sport, people want him in big fights, and it’s not a big fight,” said Eddie Hearn in media reports.

The outcry has been sparked by more than just the fact that nobody knows who Roach is. The true problem lies with the die-hard boxing enthusiasts who are aware of Roach's background and are unwilling to watch Tank Davis take on him. Casual won't likely give a damn because, except from Ryan Garcia, they don't know who any of Tank Davis's previous opponents were.

Tank's promoters have regarded him like a valuable item that needs to be guarded, therefore they haven't made the extra effort to match him against fighters that fans are familiar with. His professional earnings have been curtailed, but it has kept him winning and chugging along. Had he faced well-known opposition during the previous 11 years, he would have amassed far more wealth.

“If you know your boxing, you know it’s a good fight, but he is a super featherweight; he’s much smaller than Tank. I don’t think it’s a bad fight, but it’s gone down terribly because no one knows who Lamont Roach is. But what were the options for Tank, really? He doesn’t want to fight Shakur, and Shakur got injured,” added Hearn.