Boxing

Lamont Roach Sends Blunt Verdict About Gervonta 'Tank' Davis' Punching Power

Lamont Roach Jr. got honest about Gervonta "Tank" Davis' punching power after their controversial fight.

Grant Young

Action between Gervonta "Tank" Davis (30-0 28 KOs) and Lamont Roach (25-1-1 10 KOs) on March 1, 2025.
Action between Gervonta "Tank" Davis (30-0 28 KOs) and Lamont Roach (25-1-1 10 KOs) on March 1, 2025. / IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Entering his March 1 fight against Lamont Roach Jr. for the WBA lightweight title, Gervonta "Tank" Davis had knocked out his opponents in 28 of his 30 professional fights (all of which were victories).

This is why it wasn't a surprise to see that Davis (who was a -1600 favorite heading into this fight) was listed at -400 to knock Roach out. Of course, we now know that not only did Davis not knock Roach out, but many could insist that he lost the fight outright.

Alas, despite the well-documented controversy in the ninth round, Davis and Roach fought to a majority draw, which meant that Davis retained his WBA lightweight belt.

Davis is typically considered one of the most powerful pound-for-pound punchers in the entire sport. And Roach addressed this sentiment during his March 6 appearance on the Nightcap show with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Ochocinco.

"So it wasn't that I wasn't caring. I was cautious, like you said, I was cautious," Roach said of Davis' punching power. "But the defense is there, and the confidence was through the roof. And I got a chin. We can keep a spade a spade.

"I see why he knocks people out," Roach continued. "I'm not gonna say the power is overrated, but I've been in there with guys who can punch, so it was nothing new to me. I've been in there with middleweight champions, I've been in there with junior middleweight champions... I was confident in what I would do defensively, and if I get hit, I know I was gonna give it right back."

Thankfully a rematch between Davis and Roach appears to be in store so that this controversial first fight can be settled once and for all.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Boxing, Women’s Basketball, and the New York Mets for On SI. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years, and he thinks it’s time that Canelo Álvarez fights David Benavidez.