The match between WBA World Lightweight Champion Gervonta Davis and WBA World Super Featherweight Champion Lamont Roach will take place on March 2 (Japan time) and will be broadcast live on WOWOW. Prior to the match, former professional boxer Ryota Murata, a gold medalist in the middleweight division at the 2012 London Olympics and a two-time world middleweight champion, gave his analysis of both fighters and the highlights of the match.
At 166cm tall, Davis is small for a lightweight (under 61.2kg) fighter, but he has extremely high fighting ability, including speed, power and technique. He has a record of 30 wins (28 KOs), with a KO rate of over 93%, which is higher than that of Naoya Inoue (29 wins, 26 KOs, 90% KO rate). As these figures show, the destructive power of his punches delivered from a southpaw stance is unmatched.
Murata calls Davis "one of the hottest fighters right now." He adds, "Not only does he knock out his opponents, but the way he knocks them out is amazing. His whole body is springy and wild. There's something thrilling about beating a bigger fighter with a small body." As the lightweight division has a large number of fighters worldwide, Murata says, "The lightweight division is the one to watch right now. There are a lot of strong fighters, but I think Davis, with his explosive power, is a cut above the rest." Although he turned 30 last November, he has high hopes for Davis, saying, "I get the impression that he hasn't fully evolved yet, so I think he'll get even stronger."
Roach, who will challenge Davis, has a 10-year professional career with a record of 25 wins (10 KOs), 1 loss and 1 draw in 27 fights. He has fought a total of eight current and former world champions and world challengers, with 6 wins (1 loss and 1 draw), making for a strong fighting record. He won his current title in November 2023, and successfully defended it for the first time last June with an 8th round TKO victory. Roach said confidently, "The fighters who have fought Davis have been scared from the start, but that's not the case with me. I'll fight according to a strategy."
This time he will be taking on Davis, who is left-handed, but Roach has faced southpaws in 7 of his 15 fights since 2017, with 5 wins (3 KOs), 1 loss and 1 draw, and this data seems to back up his confidence. Murata analyzes, "Roach is a well-rounded fighter in both offense and defense, and his left hook is good."
Regarding the development of the match, Murata declared, "Frankly speaking, Davis will win by KO! That's the only way. It could be by the middle of the match, or even the beginning. So it's a match you can't take your eyes off of for even a second." He also appealed, "Just pay attention to how Davis knocks him down. I want you to see that there is such an amazing monster, a wild fighter. Davis is a wild beast unleashed in the ring, so I want you to pay attention to his dynamic movements."
WOWOW will broadcast the "Live! Exciting Match Special "Davis vs. Roach"" live on WOWOW Prime and WOWOW On Demand from 10am on March 2nd. In addition to the match between Davis and Roach, three other matches will be broadcast live, including the WBA World Super Lightweight Title Match. Murata and former WBC World Super Lightweight Champion Hamada Takeshi will be providing commentary on the program.
