Trainer Calvin Ford looked stressed today, answering questions about why his fighter, Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, chose Lamont Roach as his next opponent on December 14th instead of one of the talented lightweights that the fans want to see the Baltimore native fight.
Ford’s answers for why Tank is fighting Roach are pretty lame, saying, “It’s good for the community.” The boxing public doesn’t see it well, and they’re the ones who buy Tank’s fights for $75.95 on PPV. This is not good for them.
Roach (25-1-1, 10 KOs), a super featherweight who will move to challenge Gervonta (30-0, 28 KOs) for his WBA lightweight title in Houston, has never fought an A-level fighter during his 10 years. – career year.
The 29-year-old Roach lost Jamel Herring in 2019 and has recent wins over Feargal McCrory, Hector Luis Garcia and Angel Rodriguez. These are not exactly the best of the best. Losing to Herring tells you everything you need to know about Roach’s qualifications for a fight against Tank.
Why Tank Fighting Roach
- They have known each other since they were lovers
- Roach agreed to the fight
- It’s a “big fight”
- Good for the “community”
- It is the fight in “front of” Tank
“They’ve known each other since amateurs, silver gloves, and everything. They’ve grown up with each other,” trainer Calvin Ford said. FighthypeTalking about Gervonta Davis knowing Lamont Roach Jr. well from the past.
The fans didn’t care that Tank Davis knew Roach when he was back on the block. They want to see Tank do his best at 135, like William Zepeda, Raymond Muratalla, Andy Cruz, Abdullah Mason and Keyshawn Davis.
“Roach and him have had battles back and forth and stuff. It’s going to be a pretty interesting fight because Roach is coming to fight. I think it’s a great fight. Everybody’s saying all these things, ‘Ah, why Roach?’ Because he took the fight, and it’s good for the community,” Ford said.
It does not say which community it is good for. Is this the community in Baltimore and Washington, DC? There are more fans throughout the country than in that small section of the US Tank they should think about them for a change and prevent their risk of avoiding talented fighters at 135.
This is the third time Tank Davis has chosen a fighter from the super featherweight division to defend his WBA lightweight belt. He had previously fought the 130-pounders Hector Luis Garcia and Leo Santa Cruz.
“People are going to do that. That’s what fans do. They give bad reviews,” Ford said, criticizing fighters when they take on weak opponents, especially when they do it repeatedly during their careers, as Tank Davis did.
“I remember when everyone was saying that I should let Pitbull fight Tank again. They were talking about that, and then when he won that (WBA light welterweight) belt, boom. I’m not involved with that. I just prepared him and I prepared to make a great performance for the fans and as much.
“Like I said, we’re just focused on the fight in front of us, and that’s the fight in front of us,” Ford said of Roach’s next title defense for Gervonta on Dec. 14.
This response from Ford is not good enough, saying: “We are only focusing on the fight in front of us.” It is not an answer. I think we need it Grand Inquisitor here to hold Ford’s feet to the fire and get some real answers as to why Tank Davis is fighting Roach. It goes much deeper than it says. There is some fear behind these choices for Tank because it is easy money, which allows him to avoid risk.
