PBC fails to provide an update on tank vs cockroach

On December 23, undefeated WBA world lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis published a post on social media canceling his scheduled title defense against WBA super featherweight champion Lamont Roach Jr (25-1-1, 10 KOs).

In early October, Gervonta Davis initially announced that the world title fight between him and Lamont Roach would take place on December 14 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Weeks later, another announcement was made regarding the postponed Tank vs Roach clash.

No one gave an official reason for the delay, but some speculated the delay was due to venue issues. In late November, a new fight date and location was released to the public, as March 1, 2025 became the new date, and the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York became the new location.

The delay seemed to work in favor of fans of this fight due to the venue change. Baltimore and Washington DC are rival cities separated by about 40 miles. Due to the fact that Gervonta Davis is from Baltimore, Maryland, and Lamont Roach is a Washington DC native, it made a lot of sense to move the fight to the Barclays Center.

Everything seemed to be set and ready to go until Gervonta Davis made the decision to release a brief, yet unexpected public statement via social media saying, “The Fight Is F**king Cancel.. .”

After viewing the post, fighters were shocked and confused. As fans tried to get answers, Davis chose not to provide any details as he appears to have logged off of social media. Fans turned to challenger Lamont Roach for answers, and Roach responded in a post saying,

“The f**k you keep asking me for? he said it wasn’t me. I’m locked, nothing changed. March 1 Brooklyn #NEW.”

Although it was never properly addressed, the first delay was likely due to an issue as it related to the booking of the Toyota Center. This recent alleged cancellation is definitely not a venue issue as the Barclays Center has the Tank vs Roach fight listed on their website calendar events.

If the alleged cancellation has nothing to do with the venue, could it be a finance related issue? Is Gervonta Davis not happy with the guaranteed money PBC is offering him? For the past few years, boxing insiders have claimed that PBC is running out of money, and there may be some truth to the claim.

After a highly successful launch in March 2015, the PBC had a great run, but during the past few years, the PBC has shown a lack of activity. The total number of shows the PBC produces per year is on a steady decline.

In addition to potential financial issues, the PBC also exhibits a lack of communication skills. Gervonta “Tank” Davis is probably the biggest attraction on PBC’s roster. Davis claims his upcoming fight is canceled, then after the claim he gives no follow up.

Challenger Lamont Roach releases a statement saying that he has not heard that the fight has been canceled as he plans to continue his training. The PBC continues to leave the fans in limbo as they fail to provide any type of clarity on the status of the March 1 World Title match.

So…, is the Tank vs Roach battle on or off? If you look at this fight and put it into perspective, this fight is a fight for the casual boxing fans. The casuals are sold on the Baltimore vs DC narrative. Hardcore boxing fans could care less about the geographical story as they see Tank vs Roach as an overwhelming matchup.

Gervonta Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) did try to make a more enticing fight against Vasiliy Lomachenko, but since the war broke out in Ukraine and his close loss to Devin Haney, Lomachenko doesn’t seem to have the same passion for the sport of boxing, as it appears he may be considering retirement.

Currently, neither Al Haymon nor any of his PBC associates have provided a formal update on the Tank vs Roach match. To support events like this, fighters have to make financial sacrifices and organize things in their personal lives so they can travel, and support sporting events like boxing.

With that being said, it’s pretty ridiculous how so much time has passed, and no one from the PBC thought it might be a good idea to release a public statement on the state of the fight. Have you ever heard claims of an NFL or NBA game being canceled and no one formally addressing the issue?

If the fight does happen, boxing fans will be watching because they are longtime supporters of the sport. If the fight doesn’t happen, the casuals will be disappointed, but hardcore fans will just shrug it off and look forward to Gervonta Davis giving them the match they’ve been asking for.