Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis has received a tonne of backlash for his upcoming clash against Lamont Roach Jr, with several members of boxing’s fraternity criticizing the bizarre matchup.
In truth, his next opponent has emerged from way out of left field, with WBA ‘super’ champion Roach moving up from super featherweight to take on the pound-for-pound star.
And so, several boxing experts, including former world champion Paulie Malignaggi, have questioned why Gervonta Davis is not facing his lightweight rivals instead.
Regardless of the largely negative response, though, the pair will nonetheless lock horns in Houston, Texas, on December 14, headlining a PBC card on Amazon Prime Video.
Lamont Roach insists that the weight difference between him and Gervonta Davis will not be a factor
Davis’ next outing has been sanctioned by the WBA under certain conditions, with Roach eventually needing to fulfill his mandatory duties – or vacate the title – down at 130 lbs.
As for ‘Tank’, who will be defending his WBA lightweight trinket, there is still a demand from fans to see him unify with the remaining champions in his division, such as Shakur Stevenson and Vasyl Lomachenko.
But, for now, the 29-year-old must remain focused on Roach, who believes that their perceived size difference will have no bearing on the fight.
“Tank isn’t the biggest 135-pounder. Everybody he fights is damn near bigger than him,” Roach told Cigar Talk.
“I think the only person that was smaller than him was Pitbull [Isaac Cruz]. And that’s just in height. In stature, he was technically bigger than Tank, too.
“I don’t see why people are like: ‘Oh, you brought up a smaller guy.’ I’m not stunting that. I fight at 130 because that’s where I campaign at. That’s where I worked my way up to a world title.
“[But] my plan was always to move up to 135 [lbs] and win another title. It just happened a little earlier than normal.”
Fans slam the Gervonta Davis vs Lamont Roach announcement on social media
Following the announcement of Davis vs Roach, boxing fans have taken to social media to express their dissatisfaction with the fight.
One fan said: “Tank the bum won’t fight the big dogs”, with their comment receiving a significant amount of likes.
Another fan added: “Tank returns back to cherry picking. Bringing up a 130 pounder”, which, again, was one of the most liked comments.
So now, it would seem that the Baltimore bruiser must make a statement against Roach before clamoring for the blockbuster showdowns.