Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis now has an official date and placement for his second struggle of the yr.
The Ring’s No. 8 pound-for-pound fighter will defend his WBA light-weight title versus Lamont Roach Jr., who strikes up in weight. Their scheduled 12-round bout will headline a Dec. 14 PBC on Prime Video Pay-Per-View occasion from Toyota Heart in Houston, Texas.
The occasion was confirmed by PBC on Sunday night.
Davis (30-0, 28 knockouts) will try the second protection of the total model of the WBA light-weight title. The unbeaten Baltimore native beforehand held the ‘Common’ model of the belt earlier than he was upgraded upon the divisional departure of Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs; 1 No-Contest) final yr.
Previous to securing this struggle, Davis and his workforce sought a unification bout versus reigning IBF light-weight titlist Vasiliy Lomachenko. Such a struggle was focused for November, however Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs), who declined and as an alternative opted to sit down out the steadiness of the yr.
A path was finally created for Roach (25-1-1, 10 knockouts) to enter the equation. The WBA 130-pound titlist was beforehand summoned to subsequent face interim titlist Albert Batyrgaziev earlier this summer season. Nevertheless, a one-time exception was granted to as an alternative problem Davis on the greater weight.
With a win, Roach will then have to find out whether or not he’ll stay at light-weight or will return to 130. A loss will depart him on the hook to subsequent face Batyrgaziev (12-0, 8 KOs) inside 120-days of his struggle versus Davis.
Davis and Roach each scored eighth-round knockout wins two weeks aside versus unbeaten challengers.
Davis’ second got here versus Frank Martin atop a June 15 PBC on Prime PPV in Las Vegas. The bout was aggressive till it wasn’t. Davis finally caught as much as Martin and put him away for his fourth consecutive knockout.
Roach, stopped unbeaten Feargal McCrory (16-1, 8 KOs) within the eighth on June 28 in Washington, D.C. The night time marked the primary dwelling sport in almost seven years for Roach, The Ring’s No. 4-rated junior light-weight from Higher Marlboro, Maryland.
Previous to that got here his first title win. Roach scored a dramatic twelfth spherical knockdown to outpoint and unseat WBA 130-pound titlist Hector Luis Garcia (16-2, 10 KOs). General, Roach has gained six in a row. His lone defeat got here in a Nov. 2019 resolution to then-WBO junior light-weight beltholder Jamel Herring in Fresno, California.
