Gervonta who? Lamont Roach promising a 'coming-out party, all over again' against Isaac Cruz
Lamont Roach is seemingly entering stardom at an ideal moment considering the resurgent nature of younger American fighters in the wider, international pound-for-pound picture.
The former super featherweight world champion is a rare exception in a sport that too often rewards, or at least overlooks, bad behavior.
Whether it’s Ryan Garcia’s abhorrent comments about George Floyd and the KKK, controversial influencer Andrew Tate entering Misfits amid numerous outstanding sexual assault allegations, or the steady drumbeat of drug scandals involving Janibek Alimkhanuly (meldonium), Joseph Parker (cocaine), and Subriel Matías (ostarine), the spotlight is often pointed at the worst parts of boxing.
Roach is the antithesis, and it’s largely because of his underreported work with at-risk youth in his hometown of Capitol Heights, Maryland. And it’s not just things he does in the gym, but more broadly in the community, too. “I partner with the DC [Public] Library where we do events and implement boxing programming throughout the summer, in different libraries and certain schools,” he told Uncrowned ahead of Saturday's fight against WBC interim super lightweight champion Isaac Cruz.
“I've done visits and outreach events to talk to kids who might be 'at-risk' [because of] what they could fall into, to get them back in line, and give them someone to reach who is successful in his own right, and that they can do it too if they focus on doing the right things.”
Boxing is renowned for its access, and this puts it at odds with more mainstream sports.
Whether it’s the training facilities of nearby NFL franchise Baltimore Ravens, or the MLB team Baltimore Orioles, established outfits like that typically operate — and train — behind closed doors.
But Gyms like Roach's NoXcuse Boxing Club — 35 miles from the Ravens and Orioles — operate with an open-door policy, especially for kids. They offer training and cookouts in a place to burn energy and socialize safely, giving young people somewhere structured to go.
“The main thing boxing facilitates is discipline,” Roach said. “It uses discipline very well to get them a grasp on how to navigate through the tough and challenging hurdles in sport, and then they apply that to life as well. ‘If I can be disciplined here, I can apply it in real life.’ That's what boxing really does for at-risk youth.”
Roach’s own pathway to prominence has been forged in that discipline.
He’s a technical fighter whose style favors intelligence over power. His championship run at 130 pounds and his foray into lightweight have shown resilience, consistency and an adaptability rooted in discipline.
He’s already fought once this year in a majority draw with Gervonta "Tank" Davis. It's a fight many believed Roach deserved to win, and it would have become the most meaningful victory of his career, even beyond his wins over Jamel Herring and Hector Luis Garcia.
Despite being linked to a rematch against Davis so that they could finally settle their rivalry, the bout never came together. "Tank" instead moved on to an exhibition with Jake Paul, which Paul ultimately canceled after new civil allegations of domestic violence plagued Davis and the fight itself.
Unfazed, Roach pivoted toward "Pitbull" Cruz, a rugged, no-nonsense Mexican pressure fighter, whom he meets at lightweight on Saturday, Dec. 6 atop a PBC card in San Antonio, Texas.
"I'm excited, I'm not going to lie,” he said. “Things have been put off for a long time and I feel like it's going to be a coming-out party, all over again.
“The atmosphere is going to be crazy, but that's one thing I'm not worried about. This is going to be a fire-fight, and that's going to be fun for me. I hope 'Pitbull' has his boots laced up because I'm ready to rock-and-roll, for sure.”
Though the end of the year has been somewhat sluggish for the U.S. boxing calendar, the sport has been on a tear in recent weeks, with a four-fight card in Riyadh showcasing many of the best fighters in American boxing, including Devin Haney, Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez and David Benavidez.
The first six rounds of the Haney vs. Brian Norman Jr. fight showed skills from Haney that put him on par with some of the best pound-for-pound boxing we’ve seen in recent years.
And Roach sees Cruz bringing the best out of him and his style, just like how Norman’s forced the best out of Haney, who dropped his rival in the second round en route to a straightforward decision that showed off his laser-like jab.
“Isaac is the perfect dance partner for me,” said Roach. “I am going to capitalize, bring the same energy [as Haney], and be tactical.”
Should Roach do to Cruz what he was doing for the bulk of the fight against Davis then it will provide an extraordinary springboard for even greater things in 2026, he said.
“That will be a minimum three-fight year, if we get on the ball right after this," Roach said. "My goal is to be one of the best pound-for-pound fighters and I'm taking a step in the right direction. Beating 'Pitbull' in another weight class might put me somewhere close to the top 10.”
Few would bet against him, particularly because of the shake-up in recent times of how younger Americans are beginning to establish themselves as the very best in the sport.
Per Uncrowned’s own top-10 pound-for-pound rankings, for example, Terence Crawford continues to dominate the top spot, but "Bam" Rodriguez is in hot pursuit in fifth, with Benavidez tied sixth, Shakur Stevenson tied for eighth, and Haney as a new entrant at 10th.
If Cruz gets him close to that group, beating one of them would push him even higher. “Me and Shakur are on a collision course to meet one day and, when we do, it'll be a big fight for the fans,” said Roach, who added that he loves the shake-up of younger Americans beginning to dominate the top spots once again.
“We're coming into a new era and hopefully we get it together and start fighting each other. … That goes for all the weight classes. The lighter weight classes do it — look at what 'Bam' is doing, collecting belt after belt. That’s a bad man, and he’s definitely in my top five.
“David Benavidez is younger than me and doing the things he's doing. He dominated at 168 [pounds], moved up, and he's putting a beating on them guys at light heavyweight. Now he’s fighting Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez next year.”
It all means one thing for Roach: “American boxing is putting itself back on the map.”
Considering the “beautiful landscape at 135,” it may not be long before Roach punctuates his own place on that map. Because while boxing rarely rewards the good guys, if Roach beats Cruz and forces his way toward Stevenson, the sport may finally have no choice.
