The designation of Lamont Roach Jr’s opponent is still tangled. Until a few months ago, he was confirmed to have a rematch against Gervonta Davis. However, “The Tank” faced legal problems, so this fight had to be postponed, although he recently accepted to fight in an exhibition bout against Jake Paul. Therefore, Roach Jr is available and the one who has raised his hand to face him is Shakur Stevenson
Stevenson, the WBC lightweight champion, announced on his X account Thursday night that he is in the best position to face Lamont Roach in early 2026 if he cannot secure a fight with WBO super lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez, who is undefeated with a record of 22 wins, 13 by knockout. If this fight were to take place, it would force Stevenson (24-0, 11 KOs) to move up from the lightweight limit of 135 pounds to 140 pounds.
What are the benefits for Stevenson in facing Roach Jr?
The best option for Shakur Stevenson is to face Lamont Roach Jr once he belongs to the lightweight division, where the three-time world champion feels more comfortable. In his statement on X, Stevenson hinted that Roach would take an interim fight before challenging him for his WBC belt. “Lamont was getting ready for the rematch, so he’ll have a transitional fight and then face me early in the year,” Stevenson wrote. “But that will only be if Teo doesn’t take the fight.”
Meanwhile, Lamont Roach Jr has good credentials after boasting a record of 25 wins, 10 by knockout, only one loss at the hands of Gervonta Davis, and two draws. By contractual agreement, he was obliged to an immediate rematch with Davis (30-0-1, 28 KOs), who exercised that contractual clause shortly after their surprising majority draw on March 1 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The second fight for the WBA lightweight title was never announced for the tentative dates of June 21 or August 16.
What happened between Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson?
Gervonta Davis’ decision to take part in a heavily criticised exhibition against controversial cruiserweight Jake Paul left Roach in limbo. Paul and Davis announced on Wednesday that Netflix will broadcast their fight on November 14 from the State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Meanwhile, Stevenson scored one of the two best victories of his eight years as a professional on July 12 in New York. The 2016 Rio Olympic silver medallist from Newark, New Jersey, dominated dangerous Mexican southpaw William Zepeda (33-1, 27 KOs) and won a wide unanimous decision as part of the “Ring III” card at the Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The impressive victory for the skillful southpaw catapulted Stevenson to the No. 1 spot in the lightweight rankings, overtaking Davis. Before clearly defeating Zepeda, Stevenson was ranked behind Davis. In addition, he re-entered the pound-for-pound list at number nine. Roach, a native of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, still holds the WBA world title at 130 pounds. He is ranked fourth among the top 10 super featherweight contenders.
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