Lamont Roach says he still wants to go after whoever emerges as the WBC light welterweight title after Subriel Matias defends against Dalton Smith on January 10, 2026.
Roach (25-1-2, 10 KOs) fights WBC interim 140-lb champion Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz in eight days on December 6 at the Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas. If Lamont captures the interim belt, he will have the key to fight the winner of the Matias-Smith fight.
However, Roach can’t afford to look past ‘Pitbull’ Cruz (28-3-1, 18 KOs) because he’s going to be a much tougher fight than he might think. Lamont had a lot of trouble with the heavy shots that Tank and Hector Luis Garcia hit him with.
“I want to fight whoever will be the WBC champion at 140. Dan Shakur, because I think it’s the best fight in boxing. It’s the best fight in our weight class to make,” said Lamont Roach. Night cap about WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson wanting to fight after facing WBC interim 140-lb champion Isaac Cruz on Dec. 6.
“I think it will be a super fan-friendly fight. Everybody wants to see that fight. They’ve been asking for it since I fought my last fight (Gervonta Davis),” said Roach.
Shakur wants to fight Roach, so it’s a doable one if he returns to the 135-lb division. Fighting Roach gives Shakur a better chance to win than if he were to fight some of the younger, arguably more talented fighters at lightweight, such as Andy Cruz, Abdullah Mason and Floyd Schofield. It’s understandable why Shakur wants to fight Roach so badly. He has a better chance of winning and can collect a nice salary. Life would be much more difficult for Shakur against Mason, Cruz and Schofield.
Then the third, I would like to fight Gary Antuanne Russell. He’s the WBA champion at 140. Whichever comes first,” Roach said when asked if he was trying to unify at 140 or 135.
Fighting Antuanne Russell would not be a good idea for Roach. He hits too hard and would be over him. With the way Roach fights, he would struggle against Russell.
Last updated on 28/11/2025
