Before each fight, Lamont Roach Snr is often reminded of the man who taught him everything he knows: Bernard Roach.
Returning to Brooklyn, New York, as his son, WBA junior lightweight titleholder Lamont Roach Jnr, is set to face the WBA lightweight titleholder Gervonta Davis on pay-per-view this Saturday, the feeling is all too familiar.
Roach and his cousin used to go to Junior’s, an iconic restaurant in Brooklyn known for its cheesecake. They’d order a slice of cheesecake and Bernard would order the red snapper. It feels almost poetic that a fight that pits Baltimore’s Davis against Washington D.C.’s Roach Jnr is taking place in such a special locale for him. Roach Snr and his cousin traveled the road in the amateurs and when they went to New York City, the two would talk about having fighters who would fight at Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center. Those moments prepped him for Saturday.
“We were side-by-side creating the amateur program and he passed away in 2017, but he taught me so much,” Roach Snr told BoxingScene. “I learned so much from him and then we started learning from each other, but we always envisioned moments like this and it is starting to come true.
“We seen it. We believed it. We achieved it, but I give all praise to him,” Roach said. “Bernard Roach was a very good man.”
Roach Snr took over the duties of the gym when the beloved “Boogaloo” passed away due to a heart attack at the age of 52. The national titles didn’t stop. Whether it was the Rincon family (George and Alex) who traveled from Texas to train with him, Rianna Rios, or the others, Roach Snr continued a world-class program. Roach Snr always gives credit to the man he believes taught him everything.
“He's with me. His spirit is here. He would be so excited right now for this moment, but he's with me,” Roach said. “He was with us. He's always with us. You see little signs and things like that or reminders.”
In 2023, Roach Jnr defeated then WBA junior lightweight titleholder Hector Luis Garcia for the belt in the final round. Roach Snr used “Boogaloo” as motivation for his son. In the final round, Roach Jnr knocked down Garcia, a final blow that won him the title via a split-decision. Without the knockdown, it would have been a draw.
“In the last round of that championship fight I lifted up my shirt with Bernard’s picture on it,” Roach Snr said. “He is watching. This one is for him. You could just feel it. Lamont went out there and knocked him down and secured the victory.”
During that fight, Roach Snr admits he heard Boogaloo’s voice.
“I just had a funny feeling that something was going on, and I think that was him telling us, don't let up,” Roach Snr said. “I just heard his voice and then I told Lamont and he went out there and got the knockdown.”
Roach Jnr has since made one defense of his title against Feargal McCrory in a hometown title bout defense on ProBox TV. Roach Jnr, 25-1-1 (10 KOs), who was born in Washington D.C., is looking to have the greatest night of his life against his 30-year-old rival Davis. The two know each other well. They are from the same region of the country and Davis, 30-0 (28 KOs), is fighting for the first time in 2025 since knocking out Frank Martin in his only appearance of 2024.
“It's a situation that we see ourselves in because we believe we are one of the best in the world,” Roach Snr said. “We feel very good, very confident and great to be in this position and to have earned it the way we did.”
Most might tune-in and see Roach Snr, thinking naively that he is a new coach. That is far from the case. Roach has invested most of his life to inspire and build up young fighters. In fact, welterweight Benjamin Johnson and his son junior bantamweight Jordan Roach are both multi-time national champions who now fight professionally on ProBox TV. There is a long list of national champions to come out of his gym, but at every national tournament Roach is there cornering a young up-and-comer ready to make a name for themselves.
“It's been a long journey,” Roach said. “I am still involved with the amateur program and I still got a passion for the amateurs.”
Roach Snr has been around for some time and looks to use his experience on the biggest stage of them all.
“You ask any coach around the United States about No Xcuses Boxing and they're going to tell you about our gym and the kids that we have,” Roach said. “It's a long list of national champions and there will be a lot more, because we don't stop. We're going to keep it going in the pros and the amateurs.”
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @LukieBoxing.