Lamont Roach Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lamont Roach Jr. |
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| Statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | The Reaper | |||||||||||||
| Rated at | Super featherweight | |||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in | |||||||||||||
| Reach | 68 in | |||||||||||||
| Born | August 18, 1995 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
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| Stance | Orthodox | |||||||||||||
| Boxing record | ||||||||||||||
| Total fights | 27 | |||||||||||||
| Wins | 25 | |||||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 10 | |||||||||||||
| Losses | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Draws | 1 | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Lamont Roach Jr. (born August 18, 1995) is an American professional boxer. He has held the WBA super featherweight champion title since 2023. He is known for his skill and dedication in the ring.
Lamont was a very successful amateur boxer. He won gold medals at important events. These included the National Golden Gloves and USA Boxing Youth National Championships in 2013. He started his professional career the next year. He signed with Golden Boy Promotions while still studying at the University of Maryland. He stayed undefeated in his first 20 fights. He won 19 of those fights and had one draw. He also won three smaller boxing titles. In 2019, he tried to win the WBO super featherweight title but lost to Jamel Herring.
Contents
Early Life and Amateur Boxing
Lamont Roach Jr. was born in Washington, D.C.. He grew up in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. When he was nine, he went with his dad and cousin to a boxing club. There, he hit a punching bag for the first time. He also learned some basic boxing moves.
He loved boxing so much that he kept training. His father and cousin Bernard helped him. By middle school, he was training five times a week. He also played football when he was younger. But he stopped playing football in high school to focus only on boxing.
As an amateur, Lamont had a great record. He won 125 fights and lost only 15. Two of his losses were against Gervonta Davis. He won two Junior National Golden Gloves Championships. He also won a national PAL Championship. He claimed five Ringside World Championships.
In 2013, he became the USA Boxing Youth National Champion. He also won the National Golden Gloves champion title. Both wins were in the 132-pound weight class. He also won a bronze medal in a tournament in Ukraine. That year, USA Boxing gave him an award for being an outstanding boxer.
Becoming a Professional Boxer
In March 2014, Lamont Roach Jr. started his professional boxing journey. He signed with Golden Boy Promotions. His father, Lamont Sr., became his manager. Lamont had his first professional fight on April 19, 2014. He beat Victor Galindo by a unanimous decision in Washington, D.C..
He was only 18 years old at the time. He was also a freshman at the University of Maryland. He was studying mechanical engineering, just like his dad. Two months later, he won another fight in Boston. His opponent, Miguel Antonio Rodríguez, could not continue after the first round.
Early Wins and First Title
Lamont's first televised fight was on January 20, 2015, in Philadelphia. He faced Herbert Quartey, who was more experienced. Lamont showed his strength by knocking Quartey down three times. The referee stopped the fight in the fourth round, giving Lamont the win. This extended his winning streak to six.
On January 28, 2017, Lamont won his first professional title. He stopped Alejandro Valdez in less than two minutes in Indio, California. This win earned him the vacant WBC Youth Silver super featherweight title. He dedicated this victory to his cousin Jermaine, who had passed away. Jermaine was with him at his very first boxing session.
Five months later, he successfully defended his WBC Youth Silver title. He beat Jesús Valdez in Indio. In October, just before his next fight, his cousin and trainer, Bernard "Boogaloo" Roach, died. His father then became his main coach. Lamont still went on to win that fight against Luis Hinojosa by TKO in the first round.
Main Events and Challenges
A month later, Lamont Roach Jr. was the main fighter on a professional card. This event was at the MGM National Harbor in Maryland, close to his hometown. He fought Rey Perez and won by unanimous decision. This 10-round fight was shown on ESPN.
By early 2018, Lamont had an impressive record of 16 wins and no losses. He got a chance to fight for the vacant WBO International super featherweight title. He traveled to Puerto Rico to face Orlando Cruz. This was his first fight outside the United States. The fight ended in a split draw, which was a bit controversial. In the ninth round, Lamont hit Cruz, who seemed to fall. But the referee called it a slip, which was a key moment.
Three months later, he won the vacant WBO International belt. He beat Deivis Julio Bassa in Cancún. This win moved him up to number 5 in the WBO rankings. On December 15, he defended his title against Alberto Mercado. He won by unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden. This pushed him to number 2 in the WBO rankings by January 2019.
Championship Fights
In May 2019, Lamont faced Jonathan Oquendo in a WBO junior lightweight eliminator fight. He won by unanimous decision. This meant he kept his WBO International belt and also won Oquendo's WBO-NABO belt.
On November 9, he fought Jamel Herring for the WBO super featherweight title. Lamont lost the 12-round fight by unanimous decision. This was his first professional loss. He was supposed to fight Neil John Tabanao in March 2020. But the fight was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lamont did fight Neil John Tabanao later, on October 30, 2020. He won by knockout in the third round. His next fight was against Daniel Rosas on July 9, 2021. He won that fight by technical knockout in the second round.
He then fought René Alvarado for the WBA-NABA super-featherweight title. This fight happened on December 18, 2021. Lamont won by unanimous decision, with all judges scoring in his favor.
WBA Lightweight Championship
Roach vs. Davis
On September 30, 2024, it was announced that Lamont Roach Jr. was given special permission. He was a WBA super featherweight champion at the time. This permission allowed him to move up a weight class. He would challenge Gervonta Davis for his WBA lightweight title. The fight was first planned for December 14, 2024, in Houston, Texas.
However, in late October 2024, the fight was postponed. On November 13, 2024, it was reported that the fight was aimed for March 1, 2025. Finally, on November 29, 2024, the fight between Roach and Davis was confirmed. It will take place on March 1, 2025, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
See also
- List of world super-featherweight boxing champions
