The WBA has officially sanctioned a fight between Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Lamont Roach Jr. for December 14, granting Roach special permission to move up from junior lightweight to challenge Davis for the WBA lightweight title. Roach, the current WBA champion at 130 lbs, received approval from the sanctioning body without being stripped of his title, making this the biggest fight of his career.
According to the WBA, NoXcuse Boxing Promotions submitted the formal request on September 13, and after careful consideration and discussions with Albert Batyrgaziev’s team - who is the mandatory challenger for Roach’s 130 lbs belt - the decision was made to allow Roach to move forward under certain conditions.
If Roach pulls off the upset and beats Davis, he will have five days to decide which title he wants to keep - either staying at lightweight or returning to defend his 130 lbs crown. Should he lose, Roach will be obligated to fight the official junior lightweight challenger within 120 days of the Davis bout.
This fight has the potential to be a career-defining moment for Roach, who last defended his junior lightweight title in June, stopping Feargal McCrory in Washington DC. Davis, 29, is coming off an impressive stoppage of Frank Martin in Las Vegas just two weeks earlier.
Read more here about Gervonta Davis' career.
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