Having won over a wave of new fans, Lamont Roach Jr. sees Isaac 'Pitbull' Cruz fight as liftoff into 2026

Many critics and fans alike believe that Lamont Roach Jr. did enough to defeat Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis back in March in a bout that was controversially ruled a majority draw.

Though he did not get the victory for Davis’ WBA lightweight world championship — nor a summer rematch — here Roach Jr. stands as the current WBA super featherweight world champion, he’s still a key player at 135 pounds and could be an interim champion at 140 pounds Saturday night.

That is when he will challenge for Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz’ WBC interim super lightweight title at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, and live on pay-per-view.

“I’m back headlining a pay-per-view again,” Roach Jr. told DAZN News during the buildup to the fight, “and I just plan on continuing to rise from here.”

If this is going to be the liftoff point toward more stardom in 2026, Roach Jr. will be taking plenty of supporters with him. What has helped him move on from the Davis debacle is the sudden surge of new fans that he has gained from the ‘Tank’ fight and how he has handled himself after the controversial result.

“A lot of people are aware of who I am based on my performance [against Davis] and what I’ve done,” Roach Jr. said. “I have a lot more supporters, I have a lot more haters. It’s a big difference but it’s definitely a balance.

“There’s a lot more picture taking, there’s a lot more autographs and stuff like that, a lot of stopping,” he added. “The publicity definitely grew and I just continue to plan on growing it.”

Not only did Roach Jr. stand up to Davis’ explosive power by outboxing him over select sequences of the bout, but ‘Tank’ took a knee in the ninth round and rushed to his corner. It was not registered as an official knockdown by the referee as Davis later explained that grease from his hair dripped into his eye, causing a burning sensation.

Had the knockdown counted, Roach Jr. would have handed Davis his first loss — and been crowned the new WBA lightweight world champion.

Though plans for a summer rematch fell through as Davis spurned the proposed sequel to line up a fight with Jake Paul instead — only for that bout to be cancelled as well — Roach Jr. refused to let the feeling of unfinished business linger.

“It’s spilled milk that you can’t cry over,” Roach Jr. offered bluntly. “We’ve moved on. We don’t need that.”

Roach Jr. did not leave Brooklyn, New York that March 1 night with new shiny hardware in tow, but can exit San Antonio as a new force at super lightweight.

Whether it is using his prudent boxing skills or getting scrappy in the pocket, Roach Jr. (25-1-2) vows that he will be ready to deal with Cruz’ unrelenting pressure.

“I’m very confident I can do both but obviously I’m going to box, I’m going to be very strategic,” he said. “I’m going to exploit his boxing IQ and see what he has.”

Roach Jr. does that and a grand New Year awaits.

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