Fighting in Photos: Tank vs Roach Press Conference Highlights

BROOKLYN – We are a few days away from the WBA lightweight title bout between Gervonta “Tank” Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) and Lamont Roach Jr. (25-1-1, 10 KOs) and both fighters spoke about how they are approaching this fight and the level of respect that they have for each other. They have shared the ring in the amateurs before and each fighter knows how good their opponent is.

For Davis, he believes that he’s done the work in training camp to prepare for this fight.

“It’s showtime now.” Davis said. “All the talk and all the work I put in. Come Saturday night, it’ll be a great fight.”

“I want to be here and give it my all. I’m grateful and happy to be part of this event and be at this level in my career. Thank you all for coming out and see you all Saturday night.”

Much has been said over the past several weeks about how Davis has been preparing for this fight as he has been working with Barry Hunter and Patrice Harris in Washington, DC. He usually has his longtime trainer Calvin Ford helping him prepare for his fights. This time around, Hunter is here to assist Ford and Davis addressed this topic.

“I’ve known Barry since I was young, Davis said. He’s been in that space that helped me better my game and also as a person. Being around him is great. It’s good to have two top trainers come together, Barry and Calvin and even Kenny too. Having them all under one roof is amazing. I have coaches and teachers and things like that, so I soak up knowledge from them.”

Lamont Roach has seen the stories about him being a significant underdog in this bout, and that is a sign of disrespect toward the WBA super featherweight champion as he entered the pro ranks with multiple national championships, Golden Gloves awards, and the 2013 Most Outstanding Boxer for USA Boxing in the amateur ranks. He is definitely ready to take on Davis on Saturday.

“I don’t have much to say. I’m here to boogie. Saturday night will be a hell of night. I’m coming with my tool bag. I have everything in my tool bag and I got a big bag.

“I don’t care about outside critics. I know what I can do in the ring and that’s the only thing that matters honestly, that I go out and give it my all. Nine times out of ten, when I do that, I’ll be victorious.

During the press conference, Davis acknowledged the skill level that Roach has and how prepared he is for March 1st. Roach responded to that

“I take Tanks’ compliments very well. It lets me know he’s 100% focused and will bring his A game. That’s what will make it a great fight.”

Both made predictions for their bout at The Barclays Center as neither is going to back down on Saturday night.

“You know what I come to do and why I’m here,” Davis said. “I don’t want to say too much. I’ll keep it polite. I know there will be fireworks.”

“It would mean everything to be a two-division champion. That’s what I set out to do,” Roach said. “Come Saturday, you will see. My prediction is ‘AND THE NEW!’”