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Mario Barrios Predicts Gervonta Davis vs Lamont Roach Rematch

Originally posted on KO on SI | By Apratim Banerjee | Last updated Jul 6, 2025 3:56 PM ET

The Gervonta Davis vs Lamont Roach rematch is set for August 16. Considering how the first fight went down, fans will turn their attention towards the rematch.

Their first clash in March ended in a majority draw. It was a controversial fight where 'Tank' Davis took a deliberate knee in the ninth round. Much to everyone's surprise, the officials chose not to count it as a knockdown.

That was the first time Davis didn't win a professional boxing fight. He is now 30-0-1. While 'Tank' is considered as one of the best knockout artists in the sport, Roach didn't seem too affected by Davis' shots. 'The Reaper' even stunned Davis with some great shots of his own.

Mario Barrios has now given his take on how the rematch plays out. Barrios notably lost to Davis back in 2021 via knockout, his first defeat as a professional. Speaking to Lowkick MMA, Barrios said:

I thought Roach put up a very competitive fight and it was very controversial for a reason. Especially with that knockdown that they didn’t score a knockdown. I don’t know what you want to call that. But yeah, I think given the rematch, I think Tank will just kind of start where he left off.

He added:

I think in a rematch I’m still giving the edge to Tank. Not taking anything away from Roach. He’s a damn good fighter himself. He showed that and I think he surprised a lot of people with their first fight. So I think the second fight would be very much competitive but yeah, I would lean with Tank for that one.

The consensus is that Gervonta Davis wasn't at his best in the first fight against Roach. However, it's harsh to take anything away from Roach, who put up an amazing display. While 'Tank' is expected to be sharper in the rematch, Roach will be coming in as confident as ever.

Mario Barrios, meanwhile, has a massive fight coming up for himself. He defends the WBC welterweight title against Manny Pacquiao on July 19.

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

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