Super featherweight
On January 28, 2017, he stopped Alejandro Valdez inside of two minutes in Indio, California to capture the vacant WBC Youth Silver super featherweight title and move to 13–0. [9] He dedicated the win to his recently deceased cousin Jermaine, who had accompanied him to his first boxing session more than a decade earlier. [3] He successfully defended the belt against Jesús Valdez five months later, also in Indio. [10] Just days before his next fight, a non-title bout versus Dominican veteran Luis Hinojosa in October, [11] his cousin and life-long trainer Bernard "Boogaloo" Roach died of a heart attack. [12] With his father taking over as his head coach, he went on to beat Hinojosa with a first-round TKO for his third stoppage victory in four fights. [13] A month later Roach headlined his first professional card when he faced Rey Perez at the MGM National Harbor in Maryland, just 20 minutes from his hometown of Upper Marlboro. [14] [15] He defeated the Filipino journeyman by unanimous decision in the 10-round main event of the ESPN Deportes/ESPN2 telecast. [16]
By the beginning of 2018 Roach had a record of 16–0. He was rewarded with an opportunity to challenge for the vacant WBO International super featherweight title, traveling to Puerto Rico to face former world title challenger Orlando Cruz. [17] [18] In what was his first fight outside of the continental United States, he fought Cruz to a controversial split draw in the main event of a Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN card. [19] [20] It was a close fight until the ninth round, when Roach hit the 36-year-old with a left hook to the head that made him stagger and fall, seemingly a knockdown. [19] However, it was ruled a slip by Puerto Rican referee Luis Pabon, a crucial point that would have given him the victory. [21] Three months later he defeated Deivis Julio Bassa for the still-vacant WBO International belt in Cancún, after the Colombian contender stayed in his corner at the conclusion of the sixth round. [22] The victory catapulted him to No. 5 in the WBO rankings. [23] On December 15, he defeated Alberto Mercado in his first title defense by unanimous decision on the undercard of the Canelo Álvarez–Rocky Fielding world title bout at Madison Square Garden. [4] [24] This further moved him up the WBO rankings to No. 2 in January 2019. [25]
Roach faced veteran Puerto Rican fighter Jonathan Oquendo in a WBO junior lightweight final eliminator during the Álvarez–Daniel Jacobs undercard at T-Mobile Arena in May 2019. [26] He retained his belt while also taking Oquendo's WBO–NABO belt with a unanimous decision victory. [27]
Roach vs. Herring
On June 21, 2019, the WBO mandated Jamel Herring (20-2, 10 KOs), the recently crowned WBO super lightweight champion to make his first defence against Roach. The teams were given 30 day negotiation period before purse bids would be called. Herring won the title a month earlier dethroning Masayuki Ito via decision. [28] On September 9, ESPN reported the fight was set to take place on Veterans Day weekend on November 9, at the Chukchansi Park in Fresno, California. The card aired on ESPN+. [29] [30] The two where known to each other having sparred in recent years. Herring did not disclose anything about the sessions, but believed he had the edge based on the time shared. [31] Roach praised Herring for his accomplishments and was happy the location picked for the fight was neutral. He said, “He’s a tough and crafty fighter. He deserves to be a champion as he won his championship but his time is ticking. On November 9th - I will be champion soon.” [32] Herring weighed 129.8 pounds and Roach was 129 pounds, in what was his first world title fight. [33]
Roach was defeated in his quest to become world champion via unanimous decision. [34] Herring, who had a height and reach advantage, used his range and jab, while Roach, who was shorter, had to rely on landing hooks and counters whilst fighting on the inside. Herring forced Roach into uncomfortable positions, having controlled the early and mid rounds. Roach did find success in the later rounds, notably landing a right hand in the eleventh round. The scorecards read 117–111 (twice) and 115–113 in favor of Herring, who retained his belt. [35] [36] Herring dedicated the win to the US Troops. [37] According to CompuBox, Herring connected 143 of 665 punches (22%) and Roach landed with 84 of 403 (21%). Herring earned $300,000 for his defence and Roach took a $100,000 fight purse. This was Roach's first 12-round fight a professional. He felt the scorecard were sightly wide, but stated he would return stronger. Roach said he wished he’d pushed harder earlier in the fight. Missing that chance left him frustrated. His trainer, Joel Diaz, wasn’t happy and called Roach out for playing it too safe. [38]
In December 2025, Roach looked back on the fight and called it a turning point. He admitted he hadn’t given Herring enough credit, and losing taught him a lot. The loss changed how he approached the rest of his career. [39]
He was scheduled to face Neil John Tabanao (17–7, 11 KOs) at the Avalon Hollywood on March 19, 2020, but the fight was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [40]
Back to winning ways
The fight with Tabanao was rescheduled to take place on October 30, on the Jaime Munguia vs. Tureano Johnson undercard. [41] During the build-up, Tabanao stated he contacted coronavirus, which affected his training and preparation. Roach was a heavy favorite going into the fight. [42] Roach dominated and won the fight by a third-round knockout. [43]
Roach next fought Daniel Rosas (22-4-1, 14 KOs) on July 9, 2021 on the undercard for the Gilberto Ramírez vs. Sullivan Barrera at the Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles, California. From the opening bell, Roach pushed forward, not allowing Rosas to settle. In the second round, he landed a sharp left hook to Rosas’ head, followed by a right hand to his body. Rosas hit the canvas. Referee Jerry Cantu stopped the fight at 2:14 of round two. After the fight, Roach called for a fight against the winner of Roger Gutiérrez vs. René Alvarado, which was a rematch for the WBA junior lightweight title. [44]
Roach vs. Alvarado
On November 11, 2021, Golden Boy Promotions announced a card to take place at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, on December 18, headlined by Gilberto Ramírez and Yunieski Gonzalez. The card was streamed live globally on DAZN. Announced for the undercard was Roach against René Alvarado (32-10, 21 KOs) in a 10-round bout for the vacant NABA title. [45] [46] Having met in 2015, Roach explained that Alvarado had been on his radar ever since. He admired Alvarado's toughness and his reputation for fighting high-level opponents. [47] Using his counterpunching and accuracy, Roach was able to defeat Alvarado via unanimous decision. [48] Alvarado pushed forward, trying to dominate the entire fight. He threw over 1,000 punches, landing only 99 of them (10%). Roach was able to effectively counter his aggressive attacks, which was a major factor in his victory. Roach also landed 99 punches but threw 597 (17%). Two judges scored the fight 98–92 for Roach, while the third judge awarded him a 100–90 scorecard. Roach showed that he could control the pace and range against a more aggressive opponent. [49] [50] [51]
Roach vs. Rodriguez
Roach's next fight was announced on June 23, 2022 to take place at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, on the Ryan Garcia vs. Javier Fortuna undercard. The card was scheduled for July 16, on DAZN. Roach was set to fight in a 12-round WBA super featherweight title eliminator against 34 year old Angel Rodriguez (20–1, 10 KOs). On the press release, Roach said, “Just in case the division forgot about me I'm putting them on notice on July 16. This is my opportunity to get closer to a world title shot and I am going to win and put on an impressive performance.” [52] Roach weighed in at 129.8 pounds, while Rodriguez, who was on a 12-fight win streak, was 129.2 pounds. [53] Roach moved another step closer to another world title shot, defeating Rodriguez via unanimous decision, outboxing him for the majority of the twelve rounds. In the fourth round, Roach went down after being hit accidentally below the belt following a right hand. He recovered from this and continued boxing. In the next round, he landed a strong counter right that rocked Rodriguez, with just over a minute remaining. Rodriguez was visibly affected by this shot but managed to see out the remainder of the fifth. The only other noticeable moment came in the eleventh round when Roach landed another right hand that caused Rodriguez to back away. The judges' scorecards read 117-111, 116-112, and 116-112. [54] According to CompuBox, Roach landed 99 of 651 punches thrown (15%), and Rodriguez landed 62 of 547 (11%). Seventy-two of Roach's shots landed were power punches. [55] [56] Golden Boy Promotions did not renew Roach's contract after this bout, allowing him to become promotional free. [57]
Roach vs. Garcia, McCrory
On March 20, 2023, the WBA ordered Héctor García (16–1, 10 KOs; 3 NC) to enter negotiations to defend his world title against Roach before May 20. Garcia won the title in August 2022 against Roger Gutiérrez, and was granted by the WBA to take a voluntary fight, as long as he fought his mandatory within 9 months. In this time, Garcia moved up to lightweight in a losing attempt against Gervonta Davis in January 2023. [58] [59] Purse bids were scheduled for May 25, [60] which was won by TGB Promotions on behalf of Premier Boxing Champions, which meant the fight was likely to be broadcast on Showtime. The winning bid was $410,000. The only other bidder was NoXcuse Boxing, led by Roach’s father Lamont Roach Sr., with a bid of $351,000. A per WBA purse splits, Garcia was entitled to 75%, which equated to $307,500, with Roach taking the remaining $102,500 purse. [57] [61] [62] Speaking ahead of the fight, Roach said, “I wanna make him quit. Even if I don’t sleep him, I wanna make him quit. I want him to be like ‘alright, I don’t wanna to do this anymore.” This was a reference to Garcia's fight against Davis, in which he quit on his stool after eight rounds. [63]
Lightweight
Roach vs. Davis
On September 30, 2024 it was announced that Roach, who at that time was also a WBA super featherweight champion, was granted special permission by the WBA to move up a weight class and challenge Gervonta Davis for his WBA lightweight title on December 14, 2024. [64] [65] On October 6, 2024 the fight was confirmed to take place at Toyota Center in Houston, TX on December 14, 2024. [66] Late October 2024, it was reported that the fight was postponed. [67] [68] On November 13, 2024 it was reported that the fight was "targeted" for March 1, 2025. [69] [70] [71] On November 29, 2024, the bout between Roach and Davis has been confirmed to be held on March 1, 2025 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. [72]
Davis would retain his WBA lightweight title in a majority draw (115–113 Davis, 114–114, and 114–114), the first of his professional career. [73] The decision was met with significant controversy, [74] particularly due to a moment in the 9th round in which Davis suddenly took a knee following a quick jab from Roach. Davis then walked to his corner, motioned toward his left eye, and was wiped with a towel. Referee Steve Willis incorrectly did not call it a knockdown against Davis. [75] Had the knockdown been correctly called, Roach would have won via split decision and resulted in the first loss of Davis' career. Nevertheless, Roach was only the third fighter to go the distance with Davis, after Germán Meraz and Isaac Cruz. [76] In the post-fight interview, Davis stated "I just got my hair done two days ago, and she put grease in it. [...] When you're sweating and things like that, the grease came into my face and burned my eyes." He then later expressed interest in rematching Roach. [77] On March 4, 2025, it was reported that Roach's camp filed an appeal to the NYSAC to overturn the draw. [78] 3 days later, the NYSAC stated that although Roach should have been credited with a knockdown against Davis, they opted not to overturn the result, claiming that "the referee's call was not outcome-determinative". [79]
According to Dan Rafael, the PPV generated around 262,000 buys, grossing $21 million in revenue. The attendance was reported to be a record 19,250 for the Barclays Center. [80] It was later reported the event sold 16,420 tickets with 766 comps, generating a $6,415,815 gate. The attendance was 2,064 lower than what was originally announced by PBC. [81]
On April 3, ESPN reported a rematch was being planned for June 21 between Davis and Roach with T-Mobile Arena being the potential venue. [82] Sources claimed the fight would instead take place at the end of Summer. [83] In May, Brunch Boxing's Matthew “Bellini” Brown revealed the fight would take place on August 16 in Las Vegas. [84] [85] On June 20, Roach put out a tweet claiming Davis was yet to sign his end of the deal. [86] After Davis was arrested for battery on July 11, the prospect of a rematch with Roach appeared increasingly doubtful. [87] [88] On August 16, Roach stated he would no longer pursue the rematch with Davis and felt Davis was never keen to give him a rematch. [89] Four days later, Davis announced an exhibition fight with Jake Paul in November 2025. [90] The WBA was expected to review Davis' championship status because of the failure to schedule the required rematch. [91]
Super lightweight
Roach vs. Cruz
On October 3, 2025, Premier Boxing Champions announced that Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz (28–3–1, 18 KOs) would defend his interim WBC super lightweight title against Roach on December 6, to be broadcast on Prime Video PPV from the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. The fight was originally planned a month prior. [92] In a press release, Sean Gibbons stated, “We hoped for Gervonta, but this is a better fight against the guy in Lamont Roach who the fans and everyone but the New York State Boxing Commission believe beat Gervonta Davis. We know Roach wants to bang, and Cruz only knows one way to fight. You want fights where you know the fans will be fine spending their money for it, and this is absolutely a fight you’d be happy to pay for … San Antonio is getting a serious gift from boxing for Christmas.” Cruz sought to reinforce his position as a prominent figure in Mexican boxing, particularly in light of Canelo Álvarez's recent loss. [93] [94] Roach was favored to win the fight, being listed as a 2-to-1 favorite by DraftKings. [95] He recognized Cruz's strengths but was confident that his adaptable fighting style would effectively counter Cruz's persistent pressure and power, and he intended to "dominate" the fight. [96] The WBA stated they would allow Roach to enter the ring as the WBA super featherweight champion, he would however be stripped immediately after the opening bell, elevating James 'Jazza' Dickens to full championship status. [97]
On the night, with an announced crowd of 10,230, despite appearing to dominate significant portions of the fight, Roach settled with a contentious majority draw against Cruz, which saw Cruz retain his interim title. This marked the second disputed majority draw of Roach’s 2025. [98] Cruz start aggressively, using his face-first, high-pressure style to apply early pressure on Roach. In the third round, Cruz scored a pivotal knockdown with a left hook that caused Roach’s glove to touch the canvas, giving Cruz an early lead. Roach mounted a strong comeback, especially from the sixth round onward, effectively using jabs and counter shots to control the action, while Cruz shifted to a more outside, box-oriented style. Cruz was penalized a point in the seventh for frequent clinching and hitting to the hip. In the later rounds, Roach’s adjustments and accuracy earned him considerable success. He out landed Cruz in total punches, including power shots, and controlled the fight in majority of those rounds. One judge scored it 115-111 in favor of Cruz, while the other two judges scored it 113-113, resulting in a majority draw. [99] [100] [101]
During the post-fight, Roach expressed deep frustration with the decision, feeling he had earned a clear victory. He stated, “All I want is a fair shake. It’s some bulls**. I don’t know what I got to do. I’m tired of this.” Cruz defended his performance but acknowledged the referee’s point deduction influenced the draw. He stated he was willing to engage in a rematch under the condition of a different referee, “Absolutely [we can rematch]. With a different referee, though. Without the referee being on his side.” CompuBox showed that Roach landed 191 of 467 punches thrown (41%) and Cruz landed 159 of 544 (29%). [102] [103] It was later confirmed that Roach had sustained a broken hand in the fifth round, which meant he fought for half of the bout using only one hand. [104] Roach was seeking a rematch, to take place in Washington D.C. whereas at the same time, Cruz stated that he wanted to move on and fight more aggressively approaching boxers. and believed he gave a good account for himself. [105] [106]
