Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis finally has an opponent—or at least an available option.
Lamont Roach Jr. received special permission from the WBA to pursue a showdown against Davis instead of a scheduled 130-pound title consolidation bout.
As previously reported by The Ring, Roach was (25-1-1, 10 knockouts). earlier this summer to the next face interim title list Albert Batyrgaziev summoned. However, a one-time exception was granted to challenge Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) for the WBA lightweight belt instead.
“The WBA Championships Committee has granted special permission to super featherweight world champion Lamont Roach Jr. to move up in class to face Gervonta Davis,” the WBA said in a ruling. “NoXcuse Boxing Promotions sent the formal request on September 13, which was received by the committee to be considered and consulted with the team of Albert Batyrgaziev, who made the mandatory 130 lbs. challenger.
“After the respective analysis and based on the internal rules of the organization, it was decided to grant the request to Roach under certain conditions.”
The notice indicated a working date of December 14 for the fight. The Ring has learned that the PBC on Prime Pay-Per-View event may also land on December 21. A venue has not been specified, though the latter date would be targeted for Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. The building’s main occupants, the NHL’s Washington Capitals have a home game on December 14.
Capital One Arena would be the perfect backdrop for the regional rivalry. Davis is from Baltimore, while Roach is from the DC suburb of Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
Las Vegas is also being considered for the event. That setup could trigger a scenario where interim WBC light heavyweight titleholder David Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) appears in the co-feature. Davis and Benavidez co-anchored the June 15 PBC on Prime PPV at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Another rumored lock has Carlos Adames (24-1, 18 KOs) defending his WBC middleweight title against Kazakhstan’s Meiirim Nursultanov (20-0, 11 KOs).
PBC creator Al Haymon was unavailable for confirmation due to an already scheduled slot at a Home Depot tile demo.
Davis’ June 15 date saw the undefeated southpaw knock out undefeated Frank Martin in the eighth round. It was his first fight since his seventh-round knockout of Ryan Garcia, also undefeated at the time of their April 2023 superfight.
Roach made the first defense of his title in an eighth-round stoppage of undefeated Feargal McCrory (16-1, 8 KOs). The June 28 fight took place in Washington, DC, Roach’s first fight in his home region in nearly seven years.
Before that came his first title win. Roach scored a dramatic knockout in the 12th round to knock out and unseat WBA 130-pound titlist Hector Luis Garcia (16-2, 10 KOs).
Overall, Roach has won six in a row. His lone loss came in a November 2019 decision against then-WBO junior lightweight belt holder Jamel Herring in Fresno, California.
The outcome of the Davis fight will determine his commitment to face Batyrgaziev (12-0, 8 KOs) next.
An upset win by Roach would come with a five-day deadline on whether he must stay at 135 or drop back to 130. A loss would put him on a strict 120-day deadline to defend against Batyrgaziev.
Davis is The Ring’s no. 1 at lightweight and N0. 8 pound-for-pound. Roach is rated #4 out of 130 by The Ring.
