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By: Sean Crose
According to Chris Mannix, both Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach are game to have a rematch. That’s good news for fight fans, who by and large felt that underdog Roach deserved to get the judge’s nod after the final bell had rung in their first and up til now only battle. The fight was ruled a draw, though, making a rematch an obvious choice for each fighter. Boxing being boxing, however, it’s almost a surprise whenever a big fight is made on US soil. Credit to Roach, and especially to Davis, for being willing to throw down once again. Mannix claims Davis-Roach 2 may go down in June.
That would certainly be a positive development. Yet any time in the near future would be nice. The truth is that the first fight, although not a legitimate thriller, was a fascinating affair. Davis was expected to win handily, but things didn’t go as planned. For starters Davis’ lauded power didn’t seem to impact Roach too profoundly. What’s more, Roach was extremely disciplined throughout the bout, keeping Davis from controlling the tempo. Roach may not have been outright robbed by the judges after the bout, but it was obvious he had presented a far greater challenge to Davis than most anyone had expected.
With that in mind, Davis remains one of the biggest attractions in the sport. He won’t likely remain that big an attraction, however, if Roach ends up winning the rematch, which he just might. The question, really, is whether or not Davis can make the proper adjustments he’ll need to defeat Roach. The truth is that Davis may have to find a way to simply outbox his frustrating opponent. That’s an unusual thing for a man known for laying out the competition fight after fight to do. Still, greatness comes from rising to the occasion. And Davis will have to be his best self if he wants to soundly defeat Roach in the rematch.
Of course there’s no guarantee the rematch is even going to happen. Boxing can stifle it’s own promising possibilities, as history has shown over and over again. Still, the fact that both Davis and Roach are apparently willing to get it on once again is promising news for fight fans. Perhaps the days of fighters content to sit out what could have been their greatest moments is coming to an end. Make no mistake about it, Davis and Roach will be putting a lot on the line if they get back in the ring with each other.
