Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis’ pick of super featherweight Lamont Roach Jr. as his opponent for December 14 does not bother promoter Eddie Hearn. He feels that Tank (30-0, 28 KOs) had no other options for his fight in December because the big names weren’t available.
Nobody Available
Hearn says these fighters weren’t options for WBA lightweight champion Tank for one reason or another:
– Shakur Stevenson: Injured
– Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz: Recently beaten
– Ryan Garcia: Suspended
– Devin Haney: Beaten
– Vasily Lomachenko: Opted to sit out the rest of 2024
The other fighters that Tank Davis could have fought, Edin De Los Santos, Andy Cruz, Keyshawn Davis and Raymond Muratalla, are no more famous than Lamont Roach. Even if Tank Davis picked one of them, casual boxing wouldn’t know who they are, and there wouldn’t be an increase in PPV buys over his pick of Roach.
“I think the online reaction is a little unfair. Everyone 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 have, and it’s not a big fight,” said Eddie Hearn. Fight Hub TVtalking about Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis vs Lamont Roach Jr. on December 14.
Tank is protected
It’s not just that no one knows who Roach is that has caused the backlash. The real issue is the hardcore boxing fans who do know who Roach is, and they are not interested in seeing Tank Davis fight him. Casual probably won’t care because they don’t know who any of the fighters Tank Davis has fought in the past besides Ryan Garcia.
Tank’s promoters didn’t go out of their way to compare him to guys fans had heard of because they treated him like a valuable commodity to be guarded. It kept him humming along and winning, but it also stunted his career earnings. He would have made a lot more money if he had been fighting famous opposition for the past 11 years.
“If you know your boxing, you know it’s a good fight, but he’s a super featherweight; he’s a lot smaller than Tank,” Hearn said. “I don’t think it’s a bad fight, but it went down terribly because nobody knows who Lamont Roach is. But what were the options for Tank, really? He doesn’t want to fight Shakur, and Shakur is hurt.”
tank vs. Roach is a good fight in the same vein as Tank’s last match against Frank Martin. It was a mismatch, and this one will be too. The only difference is that Roach has no power at all and will have nothing to hold off Tank. He’s like a poor man’s version of Shakur Stevenson. This may be one of the reasons why Tank chose Roach. He will help him prepare for Shakur.
“Haney is not fighting. The Ryan Garcia rematch is not there. Pitbull Cruz beat, and it was definitely the fight they were going to have. Valenzuela is not ready. So, all in all, I get it, but it’s not going to do big numbers because it’s not a fight that people are aware of that’s actually a pretty good fight,” Hearn said of the Tank vs. Roach clash said.
