In the ring emotions are high but a short time ago Lamont Roach had a cool head at the post-fight press conference.
Where he had a little time to process the majority draw this weekend against boxing star Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis.
Speaking after the fight at the post-fight press conference Roach said:
“Obviously, I want to go back and watch it, but in there, I clearly thought I won. I thought I did enough to get the victory over a spectacular fighter. I told you all from the beginning that I’ve got the skills to pay the bills—I’ve been saying that—and I’m just glad I got to show it. Honestly, I’m glad I got to prove it. Like I said before, I appreciate the true boxing media, the guys who didn’t count me out. That’s how I feel, man. I think I won, and I can’t wait to do it again. I can’t wait to dance again.”
On going into the bout he added:
“Going into the fight, I knew I had what it takes. Like I said, I knew I had a chin. I’ve sparred with junior middleweights and middleweights—current champions at those weights—so I know I can take a punch. He’s twitchy in there—I see why he knocks people out. Being up close and personal, I’d seen it on TV and stuff, but I understand why he does it. I’m not going to tell you why, because you’d tell him, but I just knew I could hang in there. I knew I could outperform him in rounds and exchanges.”
He continued:
“Honestly, I’m not that frustrated. I thought I should’ve won without that being counted as a knockdown. I’m not the ref, you know? If he had to wipe sweat out of his eye, that’s what he did. The rules say if you voluntarily take a knee, it’s an automatic count, but it is what it is. I wasn’t relying on that—I was relying on what I was doing in there. I think I was taking control, landing more shots, more power shots. I thought I was doing my thing. If that had been called a knockdown, I’d have won a majority decision.”
On Davis’ power Roach said:
“He’s got decent power, for sure. I’m not going to say it’s exaggerated—I told you I’ve got a chin. I’m not going down like that; it’s just not happening. But I see why he knocks people out. I think he felt my power too—that’s what negated a lot of his shots. Once I took his best shot, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, it’s time to roll.’ Walking into the ring, I felt like everybody had written me off—including him—and that’s how I fought. I got into a groove early, I’m not going to lie. I was feeling it from the start—I was on point with my timing today, for sure.”
On respect for ‘Tank’ after the fight:
“It’s still respect at the end of the day. A lot of people don’t understand—he didn’t have to fight me. He’s a superstar; he can fight whoever he wants. He didn’t have to take this fight. When we signed, he stuck to his word, we fought, and I’ll always respect him for that. He gave me the opportunity. I can’t wait to run it back, for real—but it’s definitely respect over here.”
On the decision, he mentioned after:
“I was p*****. I found myself getting a little upset, but I shook it off. I’ve got great people in my corner telling me not to hang my head, that I performed well. They uplifted me because, I’m not going to lie, if I don’t win, I don’t like it. Put yourself in my shoes—I thought I put on a hell of a performance, and not coming away with the win is a little frustrating, a little disappointing. But I shook off that funk. We’re going to boogie again.”
He went on to say:
“I think I’ve got power. I’ve been saying that—I’m cracking. I’m blessed to have the coaches I have. We worked on a good game plan, placing shots well, looking for certain shots, countering. I was on timing, especially at the perfect moments to land beautiful shots. Some of those might’ve stumbled him or visibly hurt him. He’s tough—he’s a great fighter. He knows what to do if he gets buzzed—or even if he wasn’t buzzed but it looked like it, he knew how to handle it.”
On going down the stretch in the fight with ‘Tank he added:
“Funny thing—while we were talking in the 11th or 12th round, he said, ‘You ain’t going to win.’ I was like, ‘Why not? What are you talking about?’ He said, ‘They ain’t going to give it to you.’ I said, ‘Oh, is that right?’ That’s how boxing works—it’s sad to say. I figured with a superstar, you don’t get much on paper. I damn sure thought I had it, though—especially when they announced his score. I thought, ‘Oh, they’re giving me a split decision win.’ But when I heard that 114, I was like, ‘Damn, all right, it’s over.’ It’s crazy, I’m not going to lie. But it’s okay—we’re going to run it back.”
On rating his performance he noted:
“Honestly, I’ve got to go back and look at the tape, but right now, I feel like I did a 10 (out of 10). After the final bell, I thought I did a hell of a job. Maybe after I watch it, I’ll deduct a few points or something, but I think I did very well.”
All in all, a great performance from Lamont Roach who many mentioned before the fight was a live fighter in the fight — not to be underestimated.
We said this going into the fight and it was proven true.
Good fighter Roach, big things ahead for him.
