With four duck emojis, Lamont Roach Jr. summed up his emotions: “Told ya lol 🦆🦆🦆🦆.” His tweet came right after the news that stunned the boxing world. Gervonta Davis will face Jake Paul. The move shocked many. Months ago, ahead of the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. match, Paul teased a potential matchup with Tank. At the same time, he stressed that talks were on hold to allow Davis’ rematch with Roach. “He has to do his rematch with Lamont and get that W, and then we’ll be able to run it back, but me and Gervonta were scheduled to fight for sure,” Paul said then.

But this is boxing. Things rarely go as expected. After their controversial fight in March, Lamont Roach Jr. and Gervonta Davis looked set for a rematch this month. It never happened. Instead, fans will see Tank in an exhibition against Jake Paul this November in Atlanta. Reactions are split. Critics highlight the weight disparity. But most frustration comes from the abandoned Roach-Davis rematch. Will Tank circle back to face the super featherweight champion after the Paul fight? For now, no one knows. Still, hints surfaced when Tank’s trainers sat down with a reporter.

Lamont Roach Jr. vs. Gervonta Davis: The rematch still waiting in the wings

Fight Hype’s Ron Goodall asked Barry Hunter and Braylen ‘Boog’ Williams, “Lamont wanted the rematch, and I know that in the sense of the momentum that he was going into this year after the first fight. Do you understand being a little upset that maybe that fight doesn’t happen right away or there’s an opportunity for that fight to still happen?” And Coach Hunter didn’t hesitate. “Definitely an opportunity for that fight to still happen…maybe after this one it will happen.”

He believes Tank and Roach Jr. could regroup after the Jake Paul bout. “That’s unfinished business; that was a draw, you know. I mean, that wasn’t a winner. As long as it’s like boom, at the end of the day, you want to see a winner; you want to see, you know, somebody be defeated. So that’s a fight that, you know, definitely I think is still going to happen,” Hunter said.

Goodall then turned to Boog Williams. The trainer admitted the Washington, D.C., native must have felt hurt. Still, given how many fans look up to him, Roach should stay active. “Pick one of those names out there and fight one of those guys, and somewhere down the line he and Tank will meet again,” he suggested.

According to Williams, the move could prove financially beneficial as well.

Roach Jr. stands at a crossroads

The exchange came as a new twist surfaced. Reports suggest the WBA may review Gervonta Davis’ status as champion after he chose Jake Paul over a Roach rematch. Yet in boxing, a setback for one often opens the door to gains elsewhere.

Lamont Roach Jr.’s dream of becoming a two-division champion may not be over. Reports suggest the WBC lightweight champion, Shakur Stevenson, has shown interest in facing Roach in 2026. A matchup Roach himself openly welcomes.

“I think aside from the rematch, the best fight for me and the best fight for the division is me versus Shakur Stevenson,” he told Pro Box TV. Soon after the interview clip went viral, Stevenson gave his nod. “Same mentality, champ. If this other fight doesn’t go through, we’re going to run it, bro @OneOf1x 💯.”

Thanks to one decision, the 135-pound division is buzzing. Fans will have to stay tuned as the next chapter unfolds in the coming days.

Which matchup excites you more – Lamont Roach Jr. vs. Gervonta Davis II or Lamont Roach Jr. vs. Shakur Stevenson?