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Gervonta “Tank” Davis will defend his World Boxing Association lightweight title against junior lightweight champion Lamont Roach Jr., on Dec. 14 at Houston’s Toyota Center.

Although there’s been no official announcement from Premier Boxing Champions, the fight is expected to be a pay-per-view event. Even without an official announcement — it’s also not listed on the Toyota Center website yet — Davis let the cat out of the bag, first by posting on Instagram last week that he’d be fighting in Houston in December, and then by following up with another Instagram post on Monday announcing the date and the opponent.

Davis (30-0, 28 KOs), who turns 30 in November, is a boxing superstar. He’s held the title at three different weight classes and been the WBA champion at 135 pounds since 2023.

Gervonta Davis

This will be Davis’ first time fighting in Houston and second in Texas, having brutally knocked out Léo Santa Cruz in 2020 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Roach (25-1-1, 10 KOs) was given permission from the WBA to move up in weight to challenge Davis for his belt with an agreement that, if he wins, he’ll be given five days to decide which belt to keep and defend, and if he loses, he’ll be required to fight the 130-pound challenger within 120 days.

This will be Davis’ eighth straight time headlining a pay-per-view card. Each one has generated at least 200,000 buys with his 2023 knockout of Ryan Garcia going over 1 million.

It will be the first big fight at Toyota Center since Ryan Garcia stopped Oscar Duarte in December 2023.

Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis now has an official date and location for his second fight of the year.

The Ring’s No. 8 pound-for-pound fighter will defend his WBA lightweight title versus Lamont Roach Jr., who moves up in weight. Their scheduled 12-round bout will headline a Dec. 14 PBC on Prime Video Pay-Per-View event from Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

The event was confirmed by PBC on Sunday evening.

Gervonta Davis

Davis (30-0, 28 knockouts) will attempt the second defense of the full version of the WBA lightweight title. The unbeaten Baltimore native previously held the ‘Regular’ version of the belt before he was upgraded upon the divisional departure of Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs; 1 No-Contest) last year.

Prior to securing this fight, Davis and his team sought a unification bout versus reigning IBF lightweight titlist Vasiliy Lomachenko. Such a fight was targeted for November, but Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs), who declined and instead opted to sit out the balance of the year.

A path was eventually created for Roach (25-1-1, 10 knockouts) to enter the equation. The WBA 130-pound titlist was previously summoned to next face interim titlist Albert Batyrgaziev earlier this summer. However, a one-time exception was granted to instead challenge Davis at the higher weight.

With a win, Roach will then have to determine whether he will remain at lightweight or will return to 130. A loss will leave him on the hook to next face Batyrgaziev (12-0, 8 KOs) within 120-days of his fight versus Davis.

Davis and Roach both scored eighth-round knockout wins two weeks apart versus unbeaten challengers.

Gervonta Davis 

Davis’ moment came versus Frank Martin atop a June 15 PBC on Prime PPV in Las Vegas. The bout was competitive until it wasn’t. Davis eventually caught up to Martin and put him away for his fourth consecutive knockout.

Roach, stopped unbeaten Feargal McCrory (16-1, 8 KOs) in the eighth on June 28 in Washington, D.C. The night marked the first home game in nearly seven years for Roach, The Ring’s No. 4-rated junior lightweight from Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

Prior to that came his first title win. Roach scored a dramatic 12th round knockdown to outpoint and unseat WBA 130-pound titlist Hector Luis Garcia (16-2, 10 KOs). Overall, Roach has won six in a row. His lone defeat came in a Nov. 2019 decision to then-WBO junior lightweight beltholder Jamel Herring in Fresno, California.

Baltimore’s well-known boxing figure Gervonta “Tank” Davis has gotten the nod to jet off to Paris, but his fists won’t be doing the talking this time around.

Taking on an advisory role, the champ will lend his heavyweight experience to Team USA’s hopefuls at the Paris Olympic Games.

WBAL-TV reports Davis, who’s been grappling with the conditions of his probation stemming from a 2020 hit-and-run, got the judicial thumbs-up for this transatlantic trip.

GERVONTA "TANK

Meanwhile, Team USA, featuring eight boxers set to make their Olympic debut, will soak up tactics from the Baltimore brawler – including Maryland’s own Jahmal Harvey.

Davis, 29, is slated to be in France from July 19th to August 12th, navigating his role in a boxing format that’s worlds apart from his usual knock-out-or-bust style, which, as per WBAL-TV, has no place in the amateur ring where every second counts and bouts are a brisk three rounds long.

Gervonta “Tank” Davis will be able to allowed to go to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games after all.

Baltimore Circuit Judge Althea M. Handy on Tuesday granted a request from the World Boxing Association lightweight champion to travel from July 19 to Aug. 12 to “support and advise” Team USA boxing.

Davis, 29, now of Parkland, Florida, sought permission because he’s on probation for a hit-and-run that happened in Baltimore in 2020. The ruling came less than one week after the judge called his attorney arrogant and accused him of trying to intimidate her.

Gervonta Davis

Hunter Pruette, Davis’ attorney, argued that his client had been compliant on probation and called the opportunity to support the team a huge honor.

Pruette provided a letter from USA Boxing in support of the request.

“Given his status amongst the world’s best boxers, Mr. Davis would be a key asset in motivating and supporting our team to achieve Olympic greatness and become the number one nation in the world at this year’s Olympic Games,” Matt Johnson, high performance director for USA Boxing, wrote in a June 26 letter to Handy.

The Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office did not object to the request.

Gervonta Davis and Floyd Mayweather

Handy had repeatedly pressed Pruette for more specific information. She later ended the July 10 hearing without ruling on the request and walked off the bench.

Following the hearing, Pruette filed court documents containing more detailed information about the itinerary.

Davis grew up in West Baltimore and has a 30-0 record with 28 KOs.

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