Boxing
Lamont Roach Jr. Already lives in the post-Zepeda world?
Published
3 months agoon
Planning a multi-fight saga with rematches and “Fight of the Year” trophies before even stepping into the ring with a monster like Zepeda is crazy. This shows a complete lack of situational awareness. Zepeda is a career-changing threat who will deliver a barrage of punches from the opening bell.
In a way, you can’t blame Roach for coming up with this fanciful vision. The generational wealth he will gain after defeating Zepeda and Shakur will allow him to live like a king. The idea of cashing those huge checks and moving into a Beverly Hills mansion among the elite is enough for anyone to dream about. The problem is that Roach still has William Zepeda in front of him.
Roach acts as if the Zepeda fight is just a formality, a compact rehearsal before the main event he imagines. In boxing, this level of forward-looking tends to lead to a brutal wake-up call.
If Roach brings the exact same irreverent “keyboard warrior” attitude to the ring on August 1, Zepeda might just quickly shock him back to reality.
If you look closely at Roach’s resume, there is nothing in his win column to justify this level of supreme confidence.
Article title and delicate victories
Before the promotion, Roach’s crowning achievement was winning the WBA super featherweight title. He won it via split decision over Hector Luis Garcia, a fighter whose confidence had already been shaken by Gervonta Davis. After that, his only defense was a TKO victory over Feargal McCrory, a decent fighter but a regional level fighter who was far from elite at 130 pounds.
Additionally, Roach’s record includes wins over aging veterans like Rene Alvarado and Jonathan Oquendo. These are solid, respectable wins for a fighter trying to stay vigorous, but they are not career-defining performances that prepare a fighter to handle the elite, contemporary buzzsaw.
Illusory “success” of draws
And here comes the psychological trap. With the official scorecards crediting him with most of his draws against Tank Davis and Pitbull Cruz, Roach turned these stalemates into moral victories.
- Tank Davis fight: You are here. Davis looked completely unmotivated, fighting without rushing and letting the rounds fly by out of sheer boredom. Roach didn’t “neutralize” Tank; Tank just didn’t show up with any real fire.
- Cruz’s Pitbull Fight: Cruz clearly did enough to win this fight, breaking through Roach’s low-impact arm punches and forcing action. The draw was a huge gift that saved Roach’s position, but it still counts as a dominant performance that proved he belongs at the top.
Reality test on August 1
Since he technically didn’t lose those two fights on paper, Roach convinced himself that his lifeless, safety-first, step-back fighting style was elitist. He believes that surviving the distance means he can overtake William Zepeda.
The problem is that Zepeda doesn’t allow enemies to fly. Zepeda won’t stand idly by like Tank, nor will he offer sporadic action that allows a defensive fighter to steal rounds with quick punches. Zepeda will land over 100 punches in each roundforcing Roach to work every second of the fight.
When a fighter hasn’t officially seen his hand raised since mid-2024, standing at ringside with William Zepeda and dreaming of Shakur Stevenson is an extremely threatening game. Roach has confused survival with supremacy, and this illusion may cost him dearly.
lol you think I’m in a phase but these mfs that reply and comment on what’s going on in my career? 80% phony site. The other 20 are miserable and can barely pay their bills. I 100% cannot fwm and do what I do in my field. With that in mind… AUGUST 1 #RoachZepeda
— Lamont Roach Jr (@OneOf1x) June 7, 2026
When a fighter starts attacking random people on social media over paying his bills, there’s a powerful suspicion that the pressure is seeping through his armor. Completely loses the plot.
The irony in his post is hilarious. He claims that no one can “fwm and do what I do in my field,” but what he has actually done recently is avoid highly debatable draws. If Roach’s record reflected back-to-back dominant victories, he could have his critics kicking stones. But with two huge gifts on the scorecards, bouts like this simply look like overcompensation.
This social media meltdown comes as the fight date has officially been set for August 1 in Las Vegas. The reality of what’s coming is starting to settle in. Instead of quietly preparing to deal with a guy who throws a thousand punches a day, Roach wastes his energy defending his honor on X.
If he continues to bring this erratic, weak-skinned energy into his camp, he will be in stern trouble.
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Boxing
Moses Itauma Calls Out Next Opponent After Stunning Loss to Filip Hrgovic
Published
7 hours agoon
September 1, 2026
Moses It will hurt suffered a surprising defeat to Filip Hrgovic on Saturday, and the 21-year-old has now revealed who he wants to face upon his return.
Itauma looked to be fulfilling his destiny and dominating his Croatian opponent during the opening rounds at the O2 Arena over the weekend, but his success soon turned to desperation when Hrgovic’s chin held up and his own stamina did not.
An exhausted Itauma eventually collapsed in round nine of the contestwith Hrgovic pulling off a remarkable upset to throw the heavyweight scene a huge curveball, hand Itauma a first career loss and get his hands on the IBF heavyweight world title.
In an interview with talkSPORT Boxingpromoter Frank Warren revealed that Itauma has already asked for a rematch with ‘El Animal’.
“In that last round, he was still firing back. He has got a firing heart, he is a very brave young man, very brave. It’s now about what he does, how he prepares, he is saying to me, ‘can we get the rematch on?’, which is a natural reaction.”
Despite the 21-year-old’s desire to take on Hrgovic for a second time, it seems as though the latter will be made to face Cuba’s Frank Sanchez, who agreed to a step-aside deal to allow Itauma and Hrgovic to fight for the IBF title under the condition that he would face the winner.
Continuing, Warren seemed to confirm that a scrap between Hrgovic and Sanchez will be next, advising Itauma to take some time off before rushing into a second shot at the heavyweight throne.
“I told him, ‘you have got to just switch off from boxing, go and chill out, go and spend some time with your family and then come back, recharge your batteries and then we will get to work again,’
“The landscape is what it is, he is a a part of it, he has shown that he belongs at that level and provided that we learn and he learns some lessons from the fight, I think that he can go on and do some great things.”
In his post-fight interview, newly-crowned IBF champion Hrgovic spoke of his desire for a bout on home soil in Croatia; where he has not fought since 2019.
As a result, Warren may next target Zagreb for a clash between Hrgovic and Sanchez, which should take place within the next six months.
Boxing
Shawn Porter Expects a Dazzling Comeback from Canelo Against Explosive Prospect Mbilli
Published
7 hours agoon
September 1, 2026
Canelo Alvarez is hoping to regain one of his former super-middleweight titles at the first time of asking when he makes his comeback this October against WBC champion Christian Mbilli. Two-time welterweight ruler Shawn Porter has revealed his prediction for the fight.
Alvarez lost all four of his belts at 168lbs to Terence Crawford last September and has since been sidelined due to an elbow injuryas Crawford’s retirement saw the coronation of four new world champions.
One of those beneficiaries was Mbilli, who had been in possession of the WBC Interim crown when ‘Bud’ decided to hang up the glovesallowing him to be elevated to full champion and then lined up for a showdown with Canelo.
Canelo’s remaining quality at the age of 36 is an ongoing debate amongst fans and analysts, leading many to predict an intriguing and potentially even fight. Yet, speaking on The PorterWay Podcast‘Showtime’ said that Alvarez will look like an ‘A++ fighter’ come fight night.
“Canelo truly does have that fast twitch; he is explosive, but he is explosive with speed and quickness and that fast twitch is going to get Canelo to that mark a little bit quicker.
“Yeah, I think [he can still do it] at 36. If you think about it, even though Canelo is not that ‘A++’ fighter that he used to be, he is still a solid ‘A’ and that solid ‘A’ will beat a solid ‘B’ [in Mbilli].
“That solid ‘B’ will make a solid ‘A’ look like an ‘A++’, so I think that he is going to look ‘A++’.”
Canelo-Mbilli takes place on Saturday, October 31, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The super-middleweight duo will top a ‘Mexico vs. The World’ themed bill, which could feature a bantamweight title unification between WBA champion and pound-for-pound sensation Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez and WBO titleholder Christian Medina.
Boxing
Undefeated KO Artist Moves Closer to Canelo Fight After Latest Stoppage: Its Going to Happen
Published
1 day agoon
August 31, 2026
Canelo Alvarez could be ordered to enter an immediate title defence if he emerges victorious against Christian Mbilli on October 31.
The Mexican has not fought since September 2025, when he was relieved of his undisputed super-middleweight crown after losing a unanimous decision to Terence Crawford.
On that same card, Mbilli retained his WBC ‘interim’ strap following a 10-round draw against Lester Martinezmaintaining his position as one of the top contenders at 168lbs.
The Frenchman was then upgraded to full world champion in December, with Crawford having relinquished his four major titles and announced his retirement as a three-division undisputed king.
Canelo will therefore have the opportunity to reclaim one of his old belts in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with Mbilli making a first defence of his WBC title.
The winner of their showdown may then be ordered to face Martinez, as the unbeaten mandatory challenger comes off two successful defences of his WBC ‘interim’ strap.
Most recently, the 30-year-old scored a 10th-round stoppage of Luka Plantic last weekend, which followed his unanimous decision victory over Immanuwel Aleem in March.
Speaking at the post-fight presser following his win against Plantic, Martinez said through a translator that he expects to eventually face both Canelo and Mbilli.
“No, look, at the end of the day, I’ve said it before: the second fight [with Mbilli] will happen, possibly next year or the year after. But either one of those fights makes sense for us.
“We know the eyes of the world are going to be on [Mbilli-Canelo]and because we’re going to be there, we’re going to take advantage of all of that. But both fights are going to happen.”
Having already created the “blueprint” to defeat Canelo, Crawford trainer Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre said afterwards that he is supremely confident in guiding Martinez to victory against either Alvarez or Mbilli.
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