Lamont Roach's Father Laments Gervonta Davis Ducking Rematch For Jake Paul

On August 20, the boxing world received news that WBA lightweight champion Gervonta "Tank" Davis was going to be fighting Jake Paul in an exhibition bout on November 14, 2025.

These two had been circling each other for close to a year, and there were reports that both sides had already agreed to a deal before Tank fought against Lamont Roach on March 1. But their fight (which had already been scheduled for November) was put on pause once Davis and Roach fought to a majority draw, and Tank wanted to get that rematch rather than match up against Paul.

Ultimately, it was reported that the Davis and Roach rematch was slated for August 16. As that date approached, however, it became clearer that nothing was official, and there were reports that Davis hadn't signed any contract to rematch Roach. And the reasoning for this became clear on Wednesday, given that Tank clearly decided to fight Jake Paul right now instead of pursuing this rematch.

Lamont Roach's Father Speaks on Gervonta Davis Not Fighting Rematch

Lamont Roach Jr. and Gervonta "Tank" Davis during a March 1, 2025 boxing fight. | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Plenty of boxing fans are feeling let down, as there was a lot of anticipation for the Roach and Davis rematch, considering how tough a fight Roach gave Davis back in March. But it's hard to imagine anybody is more frustrated than Roach and his father and head trainer, Lamont Roach Sr.

Roach Sr. spoke with FightHype for an August 20 interview mere hours after the Gervonta Davis vs. Jake Paul fight was announced and said, "[Lamont] pretty much said it all. Like, [the Roach vs. Davis rematch is] the fight. We wanted that fight, I think that's the fight the fans wanted. After a great fight like that, everybody was looking forward to the second bout.

"But unfortunately, things didn't line up as planned. So we just can't sit around and wait. We've got to move forward and continue our own career. We aren't in a position to just stay stagnant and wait for something like that to happen. That fight is going to be there, and hopefully it happens soon," he continued of the rematch between Tank and his son.

Lamont Roach Jr. also spoke about Davis' decision with an X post that wrote, "Told ya lol 🦆🦆🦆🦆," with the four duck emojis suggesting that he believes Tank ducked the rematch against him.

Perhaps Roach and Davis can finally meet in the ring for a rematch once this Paul fight is in the rearview mirror.

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