Boxing

Lamont Roach Makes Deadly Promise For Gervonta 'Tank' Davis Rematch

Lamont Roach Jr. made a dangerous claim about his upcoming fight with Gervonta "Tank" Davis.
Grant Young|
Lamont Roach Jr. reacts after hearing his majority draw verdict during his March 1 fight against Gervonta "Tank" Davis.
Lamont Roach Jr. reacts after hearing his majority draw verdict during his March 1 fight against Gervonta "Tank" Davis. | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Lamont Roach Jr. surely feels like he has something to prove to the world during his August 16 rematch against Gervonta 'Tank' Davis for Davis' WBA lightweight belt.

This is because Roach Jr. proved a lot of people wrong during their March 1 fight, which ended in a majority draw. Tank entered that fight as a -1600 favorite, with many believing that Roach Jr. didn't stand a chance against one of the sport's biggest stars. Then, not only did Roach Jr. go toe to toe against Tank, but most believe he should have won the fight, given the multiple fouls Davis made (such as taking a knee in the ninth round) that should have at least cost him points.

But even after that fight, some aren't giving Roach Jr. the respect he deserves. Instead, the boxing community is saying that Tank wasn't in his usual headspace before entering the ring, and it showed in his lackluster performance. In other words, they don't think Roach Jr. is equipped to handle the best version of Davis.

Roach Jr. is now busy preparing to prove these doubters wrong. And he took this a step further with a rather ominous claim he made while training, which was conveyed in a July 5 video on his YouTube account.

While hitting a bag, Roach Jr. turns to the camera and says, "[Gervonta] is gonna be the reason why I catch a [body] in this fight, watch." The camera then panned to one of Roach's coaches, who said, "Champ ain't lying! That joker there gonna be the reason he catch a body, I'm telling you, man."

One can't say for certain what exactly Roach Jr. and his coach were alluding to. But "catch a body" is most commonly used as a slang phrase meaning to commit a murder. This phrase has become notorious in the boxing community ever since heavyweight Deontay Wilder claimed that he was "still trying to get a body on my record" in May 2019, which prompted a lot of backlash about his intentions.

Roach Jr. invoking this same sentiment is surely going to raise eyebrows from the boxing world.

The Latest Boxing News

Eddie Hearn Stakes Claim for Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis’ Next Fight

Keith Thurman Reveals 'Suspect' Way Manny Pacquiao Can Beat Mario Barrios

Floyd Mayweather Exposes 'Broke' Accusers With Supercar Spending Splurge

Tyson Fury Coming Out of Retirement, Fighting Opponent In 2026

Published
Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young is a Staff Writer for On SI’s Boxing, New York Mets, Indiana Fever, and Women’s Fastbreak sites. Before joining SI in 2024, he wrote for various boxing and sports verticals such as FanBuzz and NY Fights. Young has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in creative writing with an emphasis on sports nonfiction from the University of San Francisco, where he played five seasons of Division 1 baseball. He fought Muay Thai professionally in Thailand in 2023, loves a good essay, and is driven crazy trying to handle a pitpull puppy named Aura. Young lives in San Diego and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.