Davis to defend lightweight title against Roach

Boxing star Gervonta Davis will defend his WBA lightweight title against Lamont Roach on Dec. 14 in Houston, it was announced Sunday evening.

Baltimore’s Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) is ranked ESPN’s No. 8 pound-for-pound boxer. He is coming off a spectacular eight-round KO of Frank Martin in June. The bout was Davis’ first since a 44-day jail stint last summer for violating the terms of house arrest stemming from a November 2020 hit-and-run incident.

Davis was in negotiations to meet future Hall of Famer Vasiliy Lomachenko in a high-stakes bout this fall, but after talks collapsed, Davis ended up with a far less appealing bout.

Roach (25-1-1, 10 KOs) will be moving up from 130 pounds, where he reigns as WBA champion and is ranked No. 5 by ESPN. Against Davis, he’ll be installed as a major underdog.

The 29-year-old Washington, D.C., native won the title with a split-decision victory over Hector Luis Garcia in November. Roach retained his belt with an eighth-round TKO of Feargal McCrory in June.