Lamont Roach Jr is the only man to have not been defeated by Gervonta Davis.
They met back in March at the Barclays Center in New York where ‘Tank’ was defending his WBA lightweight title, with the fight ending in a majority decision draw after 12 rounds of action.
Some fans even felt that Roach should have gone the decision, after a controversial moment in the ninth round where Davis voluntarily took a knee but no knockdown was scored, something that would have swung the scorecards in Roach’s favour if a 10-8 had been given.
Heading into the fight, Davis had won 28 of his 30 fights by knockout, having stopped fighters such as Ryan Garcia, Rolly Romero and Leo Santa Cruz throughout his career.
Only two men had even gone the distance with Davis, experienced German Ivan Meraz over six rounds back in 2014, and a world title defence against Isaac Cruz in 2021.
It meant that ‘Tank’ was widely considered to be one of the biggest punchers in boxing, but Roach has now revealed a shock answer when asked if Davis was the hardest hitter he has ever faced.
“No. I ain’t shi*ing on him or anything like that. He can punch, but Jonathan Oquendo, he’s from Puerto Rico. He’s got bricks in his hands. He punched hard, I ain’t going to lie.”
Roach fought Jonathan Oquendo back in May 2019, claiming a unanimous decision victory. Oquendo’s current record stands at 31 wins and 9 defeats, with just 19 wins coming by knockout, meaning Roach’s verdict may not translate fully to the Puerto Rican’s other fights.
