Lamont Roach seemed surprised at learning that fans view his fight against WBC interim light welterweight champion Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz as a ’50-50′ one for December 6th at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Roach (25-1-2, 10 KOs) isn’t being given credit for his 12-round draw against Gervonta Davis earlier this year. Fans weren’t impressed by the lack of power he showed. It wasn’t the gold standard for quality performances that most fans in the U.S. enjoy watching. So, it’s not surprising that many people are favoring the WBC interim 140-lb champion ‘Pitbull’ Cruz (28-3-1, 18 KOs) to win.
Roach Fires Back at the Doubters
“If people see it as a 50-50 fight, that’s good. I don’t want to hear any excuses when I put on a masterful performance,” said Lamont Roach to Fighthype, reacting to being told that fans believe his fight against WBC interim light welterweight champion Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz is a ’50-50 fight’ for December 6th.
Shakur 2.0 Without the Bite
What does Roach expect? He can’t punch, and his fighting style is like a slower version of Shakur Stevenson. He’s Shakur 2.0. Why would fans expect Roach to beat a high-powered offensive dynamo like Pitbull Cruz with that style?
Lamont’s lack of power and defensive-first approach doesn’t translate over to the 140 or even the 135-lb division when going against the wolves.
Understandably, many fans believe ‘Pitbull’ Cruz will win because they watched Roach’s fights against Gervonta Davis, Jamel Herring, and Hector Luis Garcia. Some think Roach lost all three of those fights. I had him lose all three as well.
If you go by Roach’s performances in those three fights, which are easily the best guys he’s fought during his 11-year pro career, it makes sense to favor Cruz to beat him. He has the superior offense, power, and output.
Pitbull is also the better inside fighter, which is vital because Roach often uses wrestling in that area. With Cruz’s short arms, he’ll take advantage of Roach’s attempts to fight on the inside.
“He did well against Tank, and I did well against Tank. But I think styles make fights, and I think my and Pitbull’s style will clash for a hell of a fight on December 6th. We got some big stars here. I’m not going to lie, but one of them is me,” said Roach, responding to being told that people are saying he’s ‘one of the biggest stars in America.’
Roach’s Inflated ‘Star’ Claim
Roach isn’t one of the “stars” in the U.S. He was a complete unknown before Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis threw him a bone by selecting him from the obscurity of the super featherweight division to give him a world title shot at 135. He’s just a guy who was given a world title shot that he didn’t deserve. Roach should have had to fight #1 WBA Floyd Schofield to earn a title shot against Tank Davis.
Their fight on March 1st ended in a 12-round draw, and Roach keeps bringing it up, making it sound like he was victimized rather than not doing enough to get the win. If he had a little pop in his punches, the judge would have given him the victory.
There was no power at all. The only thing Roach had going for him in the fight was size and the fact that he kept coming forward, throwing arm punches.
The Real Stars of U.S. Boxing
Terence Crawford
Jake Paul
Gervonta Davis
Devin Haney
Shakur Stevenson
David Benavidez
Jaron Ennis
Claressa Shields
Ryan Garcia
Teófimo López
Jesse Rodriguez
Keyshawn Davis
Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Alycia Baumgardner
Stephen Fulton
Jaron “Boots” Ennis
Written by Nation Vegas, a Boxing Analyst covering world title fights since 2013.
Last Updated on 10/10/2025
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