For whatever it’s worth, opportunity often lies in distress, it seems. After months of suspense, Gervonta Davis inked an exhibition deal with Jake Paul. The move left Lamont Roach Jr. up in the air. There is no certainty whether Tank will circle back for a rematch after the Paul fight. His team also advised him not to wait. Nonetheless, the WBA super featherweight champion, who impressed everyone with his performance in the March 1 bout, has become a hot commodity after being ducked by Davis. The latest buzz now involves talks of a potential matchup with Shakur Stevenson.

But a new development seems to have taken everyone by surprise. It came from none other than Gervonta Davis’ former mentor and promoter, Floyd Mayweather. According to the boxing great, a matchup between Lamont Roach Jr. and his protégé, rising star Curmel Moton, makes for a compelling argument. Roach Jr., however, appeared to have other plans. A fight with Mayweather himself! It didn’t take long before the young Moton rallied. And soon after, a Twitter war of words erupted.

Lamont Roach Jr. aims at Floyd Mayweather, but his protégé fires back

It’s better to go back to the beginning. Though it may have seemed like banter, Lamont Roach Jr. directly called out Floyd Mayweather, who recently found himself at the center of comeback rumors after former rival Manny Pacquiao returned to professional boxing last month. “🤣 Come on now, Floyd… Set it up with me and you! We can run it; let’s see what you got left in that gas tank!” Roach Jr. wrote.

But it appears the undefeated former world champion had another idea. Why not have Lamont Roach Jr. face Curmel Moton? “Let’s make this fight happen!! @curmelmoton1 is already IN; Roach, let’s do it. Even if I have to put up the money,” read Mayweather’s Instagram post. The message resonated on the young prospect’s IG Story as well. But the attempt bounced.

Taking notice, Roach Jr. cautioned Mayweather about how a fight with Curmel Moton might end. “FloydMayweather you jumping your young bull out there too quick & we all know how that would go rn 🥋 nothing personal champ, but let’s run it! I’ll show you why,” he wrote.

The remark only drew a direct challenge from Moton, who responded, “Let’s run it then; I’ll show the world what’s really up!” 🤝🦍

You’re not ready for this stage!

Lamont Roach Jr. replied respectfully. However, he dismissed the suggestion at the same time. He acknowledged Moton’s progress and respected what he’s doing. But Roach made it clear that he’s chasing bigger fights. The two, however, could cross paths once Moton reaches the top tier.

The response only irked Moton, who fired back that the rematch with Tank Davis isn’t happening anyway. “I’m a bigger name than you in boxing; the fight will do numbers, and I’m chasing greatness. Ain’t nothing stopping it from happening but you 🦆?” But this time, Roach Jr. wasn’t willing to let it slide. Though he had shown Moton respect before, he made it clear he wouldn’t hesitate to embarrass him again.

Declaring himself the champion, Roach added that even Floyd Mayweather’s backing wouldn’t guarantee the fight. He insisted Moton needed to raise his ranking and take safer bouts before daring to challenge him.

For all the back-and-forth, Roach’s final piece of advice sounded reasonable. Facing an established fighter with more than a decade of experience could be detrimental to Curmel Moton’s young career. Most likely, Floyd Mayweather won’t take the callout seriously either.

So, in all probability, fans will see Lamont Roach Jr. move toward a high-profile matchup, possibly against Shakur Stevenson, if the current signals hold true.

Do you think Curmel Moton is ready for the big stage?