Lamont Roach says he believes a fight between him and Shakur Stevenson could happen in 2026 at 135 after they win their next fights. He is confident Shakur (24-0, 11 KOs) will prevail in his yet-to-be-announced fight against WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez on January 31, 2026.
The businessman version of Roach
The 30-year-old Roach, who sounds more like a businessman than a fighter, is already gearing up for the Shakur fight, even though he still has to win his fight next month against WBC interim light welterweight champion Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz on December 6, 2025 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Looking at the sharks at 135 and 140, Shakur vs. Roach a fight that matches both in terms of career survival. This keeps them in the shallows away from the sharks who will quickly devour them if they venture outside the safety zone.
Isaac Cruz: The only winnable option
Roach is very strategic in the way he targets fighters, choosing interim champion Isaac Cruz over more dangerous real champions Gary Antuanne Russell or Subriel Matias at 140. Is this by accident or intentional on Lamont’s part?
This is the perfect opponent for Roach, as the diminutive Cruz (28-3-1, 18 KOs) is vulnerable. If Lamont chose the elite champions at 140, WBA light welterweight champion Gary Antuanne Russell or WBC champion Subriel Matias, he would be heading for sheer trouble and a likely bad knockout loss.
Roach doesn’t hit hard enough to compete with it top predatorsand the three foot step back he uses would not hold Antuanne or Matias back for long. He’ll be okay against the 5’4″ Cruz as long as he keeps moving all night and doesn’t stand still.
Roach says he understands why Shakur is taking the fight with Teofimo in 2026 rather than him because it’s a bigger fight. He is right about that. Roach is only known for his 12-round majority draw against a retired Gervonta Davis on March 1, 2025.
Before that fight, Roach was just famous for hardcore boxing fans and is not considered superstar or PPV material due to his defensive style—much like Shakur, but slower.
Lightweight Reality Check
Roach says he wants to prove that he is “one of the best fighters” in the sport; hence his desire to fight Shakur, who had already expressed a desire to fight him. Talent-wise, Roach doesn’t look as good as these top lightweights:
- Andy Cruz
- Abdullah Mason
- Raymond Muratalla
- Floyd Schofield
- William Zepeda
Although Roach fought Tank Davis to a draw, he didn’t show the kind of ability that would indicate he could beat any of the five lightweights on the list above. Roach is missing that spark that suggests he can hang with those fighters.
You can’t blame Lamont trying to rush fights to make money, but his 15 minutes of fame could end quickly if he fights any of the killers at 135 or the true top-rung fighters at 140, like Gary Antuanne Russell.
“For sure. Shakur is one of the best fighters in boxing. My thing is I want to prove I’m one of the best fighters in boxing,” said Lamont Roach. Inner box when asked if he was interested in fighting Shakur Stevenson.
Shakur is in the top five at 135, but not “the best” in boxing. He has been well matched by his promoters since moving up to the lightweight division. Many fans rate Stevenson the #5 spot at 135:
- Andy Cruz
- Floyd Schofield
- Abdullah Mason
- Raymond Muratalla
- Shakur Stevenson
- William Zepeda
- Core Herrera
- Lamont Roach
- Gervonta Davis
- Jose Valenzuela
Why 2026 suits both men
Understandably, Shakur has already stated that he wants to return to 135 to fight Roach after his fight with Teofimo. He does not mention the dangerous lightweights, such as Andy Cruz, Schofield or Mason, who would endanger his career. He wants Roach, which is safe, has no power, is slow, and is detectable. It’s a perfect style match for Shakur.
“We’ve already talked about it. We do want to fight each other. We do want to put on a show for the fans,” Roach said of Shakur. “It just matters what’s out there for us. Teo is a bigger fight than me. I’m realistic. We could have fought at the same time he and Teo fight (January 2026), but he had it on the table. I understand a lot.”
Shakur is looking to get the sack after his tougher-than-expected fight against William Zepeda last summer on July 12. That fight showed the writing is on the wall for Stevenson, revealing that he doesn’t have the strength or the offensive ability to stand and fight top lightweights without being turned into a human pincushion.
Rather than stay at 135 and defend against his #1 WBC contender, Andy Cruz, Shakur fled to 140 to target the weakest link among the four champions, Teofimo Lopez. I believe this is the only one that Shakur will stand a good chance of beating.
“It’s more money. It’s more publicity. It’s just a bigger fight. For sure,” Roach said when told he could get the winner of Teofimo Lopez and Shakur.
Last updated on 14/11/2025
