Well, it is my pleasure to be joined on our podcast this week by Lamont Roach. Lamar Roach, you have another challenging fight coming up December sixth. You'll be main event of the PBC Prime Video pay for view CARDI B challenging the WBC Interim Junior Welterweight titleholder, Isaac Pittbull Cruz in the Great Fight City of San Antonio at
the Frost Bank Center. So welcome to the show. The last time we spoke was before you had your last fight against Tank Davis earlier this year, so you know, I got it before we get into everything with Pitbull, which I find to be a very intriguing fight, to be honest, we got to get into a little bit about what we've seen earlier this year. That fight was
back in February. You moved up in wait to lightweight to challenge him for his WBA Lightweight championship, and you were held to what most people considered a highly controversial draw in that fight. A lot of people thought that you won that fight, that the referee blew the knockdown call in the ninth round, did not penalize him by points or DQ for running to the corner getting wiped off. There was all kinds of things that went haywire. They
screwed up the potential for replay. So all these months later where you made him take the knockdown in front of the whole world, how do you reflect on that fight and what the heck happened? Do you feel like you were robbed?
For sure?
It's exactly how you you know, how you described it though, that's exactly how I feel. I mean, it's it's it was in plain sight. So it's sad. It's sad that you know, boxing comes to situations as such and it doesn't go the right way like it's supposed to.
This is that wasn't the first time, and it probably won't be the last I had to say.
And you know, it's just it's just, you know, spill milk that I really can't cry over.
But I do definitely feel like I was robbed.
I think, I mean, watching the fight, I thought I won without the knockdown being counted as well.
But you know, everything's subjective, right, that.
Is very true. But one of the things that really irritated me about it, and I don't have I didn't have a dog in the fight. I was you know, looking forward to seeing you guys put on a highly competitive, good interesting fight. But what irritated me was that they put replay in place for the commission to examine these instances. That was obviously the perfect example to view the replay of what occurred when he went down on the knee.
After the fact, the Commission in New York recognized that it was a knockdown, but said because of their technical issues that they were having supposedly with the production truck. Yeah, exactly that they people will some people will see the video of this, others will hear the video you are given the supposedly the quote marks ye, so that they
recognized it. But because it wasn't able to be viewed by the replay official within the time frame during the fight, they couldn't suddenly post fight award you the extra point give you the win because they didn't know how the final three rounds would have played out. You know, if everybody knew there had been a knockdown. What is your thought about that aspect of it?
My thought is just, you know, they definitely dropped the rock, and I think, uh, it's I just I just think it's a little shady, that's all.
That's a great word. That's a great word for it.
I just I just I definitely just think it's a little shady.
I think a lot of things come in the factor when you have a superstar and such who brings uh, how do you say it value to a lot of people involved with the event and maybe the potential next event. So it's it's just it's just a little shaky, that's all. That's how I feel.
Well, you mentioned about the next event. So it was a good fight. Some controversy. Boxing never helped sell a rematch. Uh, you know, he exercises right to a rematch, so we all thought that would happen. First they talked, you know, he said right away, you want to get right back and during as quickly as possible. Obviously you did. Also they talked about doing it in June. Then it was supposed to take place in August, and then a lot
of stuff went on. He ended up pulling out of the fight to take what was going to be a far more lucrative exhibition fight, not even a real fight against Jake Paul. I guess somebody, allegedly nobody can really argue if you're taking a huge payday, I suppose. But how did you feel about basically getting strung along post the first fight in February for him saying we'll do it this way, you'll do it, then he'll take accept the rematch, and then he belled on you kind of left you high and dry.
Yeah, he definitely did.
That's dirty business and that's what contracts and stuff I'll put into play for.
And you know, if if I was a guy who was super pressed.
For you know, money or anything like that, you know you can easily go to arbitration.
That didn't take place.
That as you decided you didn't want to do that.
Yeah, for sure.
It's just coming to a point where you know that's going to be strong along too. It's gonna be a lot of bs, and nobody wants to go through more bs than he already. You know what I'm saying that he already put me in or put me through. We already knew that the fight was kind of in limbo as we were in camp, so it was just really
pissing me off, honestly. But you know, once we came to terms with they are pretty much aren't going to fight, it was just like, all right, where do we go from here, but we always been working since to find the next to do so, so we always knew that we were going to.
Fight this year when you when you heard he was taking the Jake Paul fight, and they went through their press tour, and then we all know what happened about the lawsuit from a girl, an ex girl friend, that alleged yet another case of domestic violence committed by Tank Davis. Obviously we'll go through the process with that, uh, But he ended up getting dropped from the fight, so he doesn't get a what would have been still a lucrative
payday and a rematch against you. He doesn't get perhaps an even more lucrative situation with Jake Paul and isn't fighting at all. What is your thought about that? It seems to me like karma maybe.
I mean, I don't have any thoughts.
Whatever happened happened, doesn't have anything to do with me anymore. So, you know, I wish the best to anybody who is involved in that, you know, that situation with MVP, with you know, the other side, whatever the case may be, however, they move on. They better figure it out. But I don't have any thoughts about it. I don't have anything to focus on. But Pitbull cruise December six.
Well down down the road, whatever happens, would you like to maybe see Tank again just to settle that score.
I doubt it.
I'm just off the simple fact that he wouldn't, you know, rematch me.
It's like the proof is in the put in. If you look at everything at face value, it probably doesn't happen.
So that would get to Pitbull. So I have to say I was a little surprised that Pitbull and his team took this fight. You are not a big name. You're certainly a bigger name than you were before you fought Tank Davis. Uh and put on an excellent performance in that fight. Were you surprised that they called your name and decided to then ask to fight you?
Uh, surprise, No, because people kind of always been an option, Like I'm pretty sure they were knowing of it, Like now, surprise that they say, yes, Well.
Maybe a little bit okay, but but.
You know, uh, surprised that you know, I'm saying that they that they were aware, and because we were aware, we've been aware, so you know, he was always on the list of what can happen next.
But they picked they picked you out and I sort of anyway, my take was view you as as the favorite and him as the underdog. Your five foot seventies, five foot four. He's always a smaller guy, but you obviously are going to be much bigger than him. You're obviously a very consummate bock.
Sir.
You have excellent defense, You're fast. Uh, you've we talked about it before the Tank fight, how good of a chin you have, and you certainly showed that against a big puncher like Tank Davis. How do you approach him then?
Like?
What do you have to be warried from him? I already know what he has to be warried from you. You know you have to be.
Worried of, you know, just his powerful punching wide looping shots. There's not a list of things that you have to look for. There's things that he does well and that he makes work for him. But that's that's his plan A, B and C. So, uh, if the if the shots, if the big looping shots don't work for him, where's he going to go?
Like? What is he going to do? If the relentless pressure doesn't work for him? What is he going to do?
So, you know, I have multiple avenues to win this fight, and I'll explode them all night until you know, either the bell rings or he falls.
Well, the way the way you just put it, I was what I was sort of thinking, like, he has one way to win, which is a good way, but that Lamont Roach had probably three or four ways.
To win for sure.
Yeah, Okay, one thing about this. You still are the WBA Junior Lightweight World Champion. You defended that title once, but in your next fight you moved up and took the challenge to fight for the lightweight belt against Tank Davis. Now in your next fight after that, you're moving up yet again tow one hundred and forty pounds to take
on Pitbull Cruise for his interim belt. So I wonder, does this mean that you are done with one hundred and thirty pounds or is it still in the back of your mind that someday you might go back down and defend it, or I don't know how much longer the WBA would even allow you to hold it after all this time without defending it.
Yeah, I think so, It's in the back of my mind for sure. It's just look at so be realistic. Look at the platform that I'm on, look at the.
Caliber fighter that I'm taking on.
If there's anything similar or bigger than a Pitbull fight at one for the super Lightweight Interim Championship at one thirty, then then there's a conversation.
So it's not a matter if you can't make the weight anymore.
Some guys would say, yeah, no, no, no, no no no, I can make the weight for sure.
So you and Pitball should be a good fight. I mean, like I said, pretty good matchup. It seemed to me you're in a great fight city like San Antonio. Yeah, I'm sure you've worked it out where you're making like a pretty good purse for this and you are fighting for the interim belt. But I always think about it. Don't fighters want to fight for real belts like the main titles?
Oh for sure, definitely, And I think me securing this one would. I'm because I'm different.
I'm going to press the fact that I'm the intern chap. This puts me because even on the wbc UH ranking chart, there's champion, Intern Champion, then number one contender. If I'm over that number one contender, I'm pressing Subrill Matias or the winner of Dulton Smith and subreal Matias to fight the next fight literally.
So that brings in to my to my uh, I guess my last question is that if you are going to stay a one hundred forty pounds, if you beat Pittbull Cruise or even if you don't beat pit Bull Cruise, whatever, but that's a really good division right now, you'll be there. Pitbull is there. Tthymo Lopez is the lineal champion, he's the WBO champion. He's probably fighting Shaquor Stevenson, who was an excellent lightweight champion who's coming up in wait. Probably
for that fight. You got Richardson Hitchins, a very talented fighter. You mentioned of course Sybrill Matias, who you'd be on course for in the WBC. You know your Washington brother Gary Antewin Russell has one of the as the WBA belt. How do you feel about the weather than Mattias, because that's the one you would be probably steered towards based on the organization. How do you kind of feel about
the wealth of talent there? And in particular, you know you didn't get to do the rematch with Tank, who's your DMV guy. You know all from DC and from Baltimore. Russell is like a big time All DC championship showdown, and.
Man, I love that fight. I actually if people don't know. Okay, So the options that were presented to me by PBC were people Gary Russell Jr. Gabriel floor Is, and somebody else. I told I told them no to.
Gabe. I told him no to Gary Russell Jr.
Because what the hell has he done in the last four years And why does he think he did? Why would I gift him a title shot in his second fight back in four.
Years and one third And and it would have they said thirty five. That's weird, but you know, I guess it wouldn't have been a title shot exactly.
And he's like being disrespectful like woon wom It's not gonna work like that. No, SORRYO scooed over, and I told him we obviously we said yes the people cruise, but we countered and it's like, let us fight Gary and swine Russell. That was that was my first option me personally, that was my first option. I was like, scratch those and asked Gary Antoine Russell, does he want to fight yes or no?
Straight up?
I guess the answer was no, and you guys all know each other from you know, being running in the DC circles. I assume, yeah, so if you win, maybe the unification you can will give him a reason to maybe fight you.
That's what I'm I mean, because he actually said that too, and I am from a champion standpoint. I understand he said that all fort at one thirty. I haven't done anything at one Okay.
I believe that. But after I make some noise here, I'm not trying to hear that.
Well, you'll be You'll be on roughly the same schedule you're fighting Kickball in December. On the sixth of you win, you'll have that interim delp you know, he will have a fight. I assume they're going to reschedule him on the Jake Paul event that was postponed. He was supposed to defending his mandatory against Arioka. Uh maybe we'll see it. But in the meantime, it's Pitbull Cruise December sixth a
PBC on Prime Video Pay Review in San Antonio. Laman, I thank you very much for your time and I wish you good luck in this fight.
Thank you, my god.
I appreciate it.