Unbeaten cruiserweight prospect Lucas Roehrig has raced to 4-0 with two stoppages as a pro since turning over in December, and he has his fifth outing in Newcastle, England, on June 6.
Roehrig, an exciting and heavy-handed 22-year-old, boxes the 7-3-2 (2 KOs) Frenchman Sofiane Quoit, having recently signed a promotional agreement with Wasserman Boxing.
Despite being at the start of his pro journey, London’s Roehrig is keeping a close eye on the rest of his division – and even has some future opponents in mind.
He has already sparred the former WBO titleholder Chris Billam-Smith, who Roehrig considers Britain’s best cruiserweight.
“I think if [Billam-Smith] gets a Badou Jack fight [for the WBC belt], that he’ll become a two-time world champion,” said Roehrig.
Then, there are some British cruiserweights not as advanced as Billam-Smith – including the 27-year-old British champion Viddal Riley, who is 13-0 (7 KOs), and the 22-year-old Aloys Youmbi, who is 10-0-1 (9 KOs).
Riley is coming off a career-best performance in his victory in April over Cheavon Clarke. “He did look very good – very good performance, very mature performance,” said Roehrig, who is trained and managed by former world super middleweight champion George Groves. “[He] showed his skill; showed how to beat someone on the back foot; counter-punch and [there are] others a bit closer to me that I see as my rivals in the very near future; guys like Aloys Junior. He boxed [recently, stopping David Jamieson in Glasgow] – good performance; good knockout – but that’s definitely someone that I see as my rival and someone my target is on after I get past 10; 11 fights. I believe that’ll be a great fight to make happen.”
Roehrig and Youmbi have previously sparred, and not long ago.
“I’ve been pro for six months now; once I’ve been pro for at least a year-and-a-bit I’ll start aiming for those Southern Area, English, titles,” he said. “I know he’s a bit further ahead, but that’s definitely someone that I would like to breakthrough [against] for a title and make that fight happen.”
There is plenty of talent and experience in the division domestically. The veteran Callum Johnson is still looking for a big fight, and Isaac Chamberlain has given most a tough test. Riley is youthful enough to be in Roehrig’s vision.
“He’s still young,” said Roehrig. “Chris Billam-Smith, I think he’s ahead of those guys as well, and probably for himself he would want the Badou Jack fight. I think that’s a fight that he will win, become WBC world champion and then he would want to get a big fight against [Jai] Opetaia.
“But guys like Riley; Chamberlain; I would say that’s very much my generation. Those guys, I think, are still 20s; 30s; early 30s; so definitely not far away. And it’s just about how quickly I pick up. As long as I don’t have no major injuries, keep staying as active as possible, then those fights should happen in the near future.”
Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, is on The Ring ratings panel and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.