Gervonta Davis’ trainer, Calvin Ford, says Lamont Roach needs to look in another direction instead of continuing to campaign for a rematch. He points out that Roach was a “Nobody” before Tank fought him earlier this year on March 1. Now, he’s got a little bit of a name, and he’s going to do something with his career.
$40 Million Over Legacy
Davis has got bigger fish to fry with his $40 million exhibition fight against Jake Paul on November 14, 2025, in Miami, Florida. That’s money that Tank wouldn’t get fighting Roach, who isn’t a big name and would be hitching a ride on his coattails for a second time if he blessed him with a rematch.
“Tank Made Him Famous,” Says Calvin Ford
“Tank, everybody he fights, he makes famous. Roach was a nobody before he fought him. He was a world champion,” said trainer Calvin Ford to Fight Hub TV, when asked why Gervonta Davis didn’t give Lamont Roach a rematch. “If any of them top guys that they talk about had been offered that had been offered to Tank [i.e., the Jake Paul exhibition], they would have jumped on it too.”
Ford is telling no lies. Roach was a “nobody” before Tank blessed him with a fight last March, and he’s still not popular despite the problems he gave him. It’s admirable that Roach battled Davis to a 12-round majority draw. But it wasn’t the kind of performance that was entertaining for fans to watch.
Also, Roach didn’t look good enough to beat any of the top lightweights, like Shakur Stevenson, Andy Cruz, Raymond Muratalla, and Abdullah Mason. There are others that would likely beat Roach as well. Tank just had an off night and didn’t fight as aggressively as he had in the past, which made Lamont look better than he actually is.
An accurate measure of Roach’s talent was his fight against Hector Luis Garcia on November 25, 2023. He barely beat Garcia by a 12-round unanimous decision, and that’s a guy that Tank destroyed in eight rounds in January 2023.
Ford Urges Roach to Find His Own Path
“I understand that’s the biggest payday of his [Roach] life, but it’s more out there. Look at ‘Pitbull,’ he’s running with it. If said, ‘Forget about it, Tank, because it’s about taking care of your family.’ It’s based on what the fighters want to do,” said Ford.
From the way it sounds, Roach isn’t going to get the rematch with Tank Davis that he’s been pining away for. Ford is basically letting Lamont know that he needs to create his own trail to become a star on his own, starting with today’s announced fight against Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz on December 6th.
It’s understandable why Gervonta isn’t interested in fighting Roach again. It’s a risky fight that won’t bring in the same kind of money he can get fighting these guys:
- Jake Paul
- Shakur Stevenson
- Teofimo Lopez
- Ryan Garcia
- Devin Haney
