Lamont Roach set for new challenge after Gervonta Davis snub

Lamont Roach Jr was rumoured to be facing WBA lightweight titlist Gervonta Davis in an immediate rematch, before “Tank” decided to face Jake Paul in an exhibition bout.

With that rematch seemingly indefinitely delayed, Dan Rafael has revealed in his Fight Freaks Unite substack that three sources involved in discussions have told him that plans are in the works for Roach to move up to super lightweight to face Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz for his WBC interim title.

Lamont Roach – plans in the works for move up in weight

Sources revealed to FFU that the fight is planned to headline a Premier Boxing Champions pay-per-view card on Prime Video, possibly landing on December 6 or December 20, at a venue to be confirmed.

Roach (25-1-2, 10 KOs) was last seen in action against “Tank” Davis in a fight that ended in a majority draw, with one card reading 115-113 for Davis and the remaining two cards reading 114-114.

It was a controversial fight, with many believing Roach deserved to have his hand raised, following a clear knockdown in the ninth round, which referee Steve Willis failed to call.

The mistake was acknowledged by the New York State Athletic Commission, which ruled that technical issues stopped the replay from being available within the required timeframe.

The result could not be overturned, as it was deemed impossible to know how the knockdown would have affected the fight in the final three rounds.

Gervonta Davis backtracks on Lamont Roach rematch

The Davis-Roach rematch appeared likely with “Tank” exercising his contractual right to a second fight. The Baltimore fighter subsequently backtracked and agreed to face cruiserweight Jake Paul, who is 65 pounds heavier than Davis. The two are set to meet on November 14 in an exhibition live on Netflix.

Cruz (28-3-1, 18 KOs) has previously fought Davis, giving him problems, with the judges giving Davis the decision (115-113 x2 and 116-112).

Since losing his WBA super lightweight title to Jose Valenzuela, Cruz has won his two fights since, including a war against Angel Fierro. The Cruz and Fierro rematch fell apart at the eleventh hour, with Omar Salcido stepping in and Cruz winning by unanimous decision (100-88 and 99-89 x 2).