Lamont Roach Jr. reacts after hearing his majority draw verdict during his March 1 fight against Gervonta "Tank" Davis. IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Lamont Roach Makes Deadly Promise For Gervonta 'Tank' Davis Rematch

Originally posted on KO on SI | By Grant Young | Last updated Jul 6, 2025 8:36 PM ET

Lamont Roach Jr. surely feels like he has something to prove to the world during his August 16 rematch against Gervonta 'Tank' Davis for Davis' WBA lightweight belt.

This is because Roach Jr. proved a lot of people wrong during their March 1 fight, which ended in a majority draw. Tank entered that fight as a -1600 favorite, with many believing that Roach Jr. didn't stand a chance against one of the sport's biggest stars. Then, not only did Roach Jr. go toe to toe against Tank, but most believe he should have won the fight, given the multiple fouls Davis made (such as taking a knee in the ninth round) that should have at least cost him points.

But even after that fight, some aren't giving Roach Jr. the respect he deserves. Instead, the boxing community is saying that Tank wasn't in his usual headspace before entering the ring, and it showed in his lackluster performance. In other words, they don't think Roach Jr. is equipped to handle the best version of Davis.

When Tank stops Roachin the rematch all the new found Roach fans (aka Haney fans) keep that same energy and don’t switch up on Lamont #tankroach2 pic.twitter.com/I1HI9IQM65
— Boxing Pro (@TheBoxingPro) July 3, 2025

Roach Jr. is now busy preparing to prove these doubters wrong. And he took this a step further with a rather ominous claim he made while training, which was conveyed in a July 5 video on his YouTube account.

While hitting a bag, Roach Jr. turns to the camera and says, "[Gervonta] is gonna be the reason why I catch a [body] in this fight, watch." The camera then panned to one of Roach's coaches, who said, "Champ ain't lying! That joker there gonna be the reason he catch a body, I'm telling you, man."

‼️ LAMONT ROACH
WITH A MESSAGE TO GERVONTA DAVIS‼️

Lamont Roach: “He ( Gervonta ) going to be the reason why I catch a body this fight watch!”
#Boxing #TankRoach2

[ YT - Reaper Roach jr. ] pic.twitter.com/EVN1PtkR6W
— Benji (@JhusLeftarm) July 5, 2025

One can't say for certain what exactly Roach Jr. and his coach were alluding to. But "catch a body" is most commonly used as a slang phrase meaning to commit a murder. This phrase has become notorious in the boxing community ever since heavyweight Deontay Wilder claimed that he was "still trying to get a body on my record" in May 2019, which prompted a lot of backlash about his intentions.

Deontay Wilder on the Dominic Breazeale fight: “His life is on the line for this fight and I do mean his life.” Later adds “I’m still trying to get me a body on my record.” #WilderBreazeale pic.twitter.com/k7kg3xZpaV
— Ryan Songalia (@ryansongalia) May 15, 2019

Roach Jr. invoking this same sentiment is surely going to raise eyebrows from the boxing world.

This article first appeared on KO on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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