Lamont Roach Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lamont Roach Jr. |
||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | The Reaper | |||||||||||||
| Rated at |
|
|||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 6in | |||||||||||||
| Reach | 68 in | |||||||||||||
| Born | August 18, 1995 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
|||||||||||||
| Stance | Orthodox | |||||||||||||
| Boxing record | ||||||||||||||
| Total fights | 28 | |||||||||||||
| Wins | 25 | |||||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 10 | |||||||||||||
| Losses | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Draws | 2 | |||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||
Lamont Roach Jr. (born August 18, 1995) is an American professional boxer. He is known by his nickname, "The Reaper." Since 2023, he has held the WBA super featherweight title.
Before becoming a professional, Lamont was a very successful amateur boxer. In 2013, he won gold medals at important events like the National Golden Gloves and the USA Boxing Youth National Championships. He started his professional career in 2014. He remained undefeated in his first 20 fights, winning 19 and having one draw. He also won three smaller boxing belts during this time. In 2019, he challenged Jamel Herring for a world title but did not win that fight.
Contents
Lamont Roach Jr.'s Early Life
Lamont Roach Jr. was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. When he was nine years old, he went with his father and cousin to a boxing gym. There, he tried hitting a punching bag for the first time and learned some basic boxing moves.
He really enjoyed it and decided to keep training. His father and his cousin Bernard became his coaches. By the time he was in middle school, he was training at the gym five times a week! He also played American football when he was younger. However, once he started high school, he decided to focus only on boxing.
Amateur Boxing Success
As an amateur boxer, Lamont had an impressive record of 125 wins and only 15 losses. Two of those losses were against another famous boxer, Gervonta Davis.
He won many championships, including two Junior National Golden Gloves titles. He also won a national PAL Championship and five Ringside World Championships. In 2013, he became the USA Boxing Youth National Champion. He also won the National Golden Gloves champion title in the 132-pound weight class. That same year, he won a bronze medal at a tournament in Ukraine. He was also given the USA Boxing Outstanding Boxer award for his great performances.
Becoming a Professional Boxer
In March 2014, Lamont Roach Jr. officially started his professional boxing career. He signed with Golden Boy Promotions, a well-known boxing company. His father, Lamont Sr., became his manager.
Lamont had his first professional fight on April 19, 2014. He defeated Victor Galindo by a unanimous decision at the D.C. Armory. He was only 18 years old at the time and was also a freshman at the University of Maryland. He was studying mechanical engineering, just like his father.
Two months later, he won another fight in Boston. His opponent, Miguel Antonio Rodríguez, could not continue after the first round. Lamont's first televised fight was on January 20, 2015, in Philadelphia. He faced Herbert Quartey, who was more experienced. Lamont showed his skill by knocking Quartey down three times. The referee stopped the fight in the fourth round, giving Lamont his sixth win in a row.
Winning First Titles
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. His record improved to 13 wins and no losses. He dedicated this important win to his cousin Jermaine, who had first taken him to a boxing session.
Five months later, he successfully defended his new belt against Jesús Valdez. Just before his next fight in October, his cousin and long-time trainer, Bernard "Boogaloo" Roach, sadly passed away. Lamont's father then took over as his main coach. Lamont went on to win that fight against Luis Hinojosa in the first round. A month later, Lamont was the main event on a boxing card for the first time. He fought Rey Perez at the MGM National Harbor in Maryland, close to his hometown. He won that 10-round fight by unanimous decision.
Big Fights and Challenges
By early 2018, Lamont had an amazing 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, a former world title challenger. This was his first fight outside the United States. The fight ended in a split draw, which means the judges had different opinions, and there was no clear winner. In the ninth round, Lamont hit Cruz, who seemed to fall, but the referee called it a slip, which was a very important decision.
Three months later, he won the WBO International belt by defeating Deivis Julio Bassa in Cancún. This victory moved him up to the number 5 spot in the WBO rankings. On December 15, he defended his title against Alberto Mercado. He won by unanimous decision on the same night that Canelo Álvarez had a big world title fight at Madison Square Garden. This win pushed him even higher, to number 2 in the WBO rankings by January 2019.
In May 2019, Lamont faced Jonathan Oquendo in a very important fight. This fight was to decide who would get a chance to fight for the WBO junior lightweight world title. Lamont won by unanimous decision, keeping his WBO International belt and also winning Oquendo's WBO-NABO belt.
On November 9, 2019, Lamont fought for a world title against the champion, Jamel Herring. He lost the 12-round fight by unanimous decision. This was his first professional loss.
After that, Lamont continued to fight and win. He defeated Neil John Tabanao by knockout in the third round on October 30, 2020. He then won against Daniel Rosas by technical knockout in the second round on July 9, 2021.
On December 18, 2021, Lamont fought former WBA super featherweight champion René Alvarado for the WBA-NABA super featherweight title. He won this fight by unanimous decision, with all judges scoring heavily in his favor.
WBA Lightweight Championship
On March 1, 2025, Lamont Roach Jr. had a highly anticipated fight against Gervonta Davis for the WBA lightweight title. Lamont, who was also the WBA super featherweight champion at the time, received special permission to move up a weight class for this challenge. The fight took place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. It ended in a majority draw, meaning two judges scored it a draw, and one judge scored it for one fighter. Both boxers expressed that they wanted a rematch.
Professional Boxing Record Summary
Lamont Roach Jr. has had a successful professional boxing career. He has fought 28 times. He has won 25 fights. 10 of his wins were by knockout. He has lost only 1 fight. He has had 2 draws.
See also
- List of world super-featherweight boxing champions
