After escaping with his title by the inch of his teeth, courtesy of one of the most controversial refereeing decisions, Gervonta Davis needs to prove everyone wrong. On March 1 2025, the WBA lightweight champion defended his title against Lamont Roach in a fight he would likely want to forget. The highly controversial fight involved Tank’s controversial ninth-round knee, his bizarre explanation, referee Steve Willis’ questionable conduct, and the highly disputed match decision. However, that is just the tip of the iceberg.

The Marylander was the heavy favorite going into the bout. The majority of fans and experts predicted it to be a one-sided mismatch affair given that Roach was jumping up a weight division. However, what went down was unprecedented.

With NYSAC giving its seal of approval to the majority-draw decision despite Roach’s constant appeal, it looks like a rematch is the only way to settle the score. However, the questions remain. Will Davis be able to exact his revenge? Well, former lightweight champion Paulie Malignaggi thinks otherwise.

Golden advice to Lamont Roach

On Friday, Malignaggi hosted another episode of the BoxingScene podcast on the ProBox TV YouTube channel. He hosted this with former welterweight champion Chris Algieri. During the conversation, Malignaggi not only favored Lamont Roach in the rematch but also raised questions on Gervonta Davis’s mentality. “There is a rumor that behind the scenes that Tank has a lot of b***h in him,” he stated.

The Brooklyn native further praised The Reaper while continuing to rip Tank apart. He added, “There is A lot of frontrunner in him. If you push him he will break he will fold,” claiming that the WBA lightweight champion can’t handle pressure. Malignaggi mentioned that these are just chatter at the moment.

However, given Tank’s career trajectory, he is inclined towards believing them. “It starts to add up because Lamont is from the DC area. They kind of know this they grew up around him they fought in the amateurs. So that thing sort of comes to light where it’s been held back from the public with the limited opposition level that Gervonta has fought most of his career,” he stated.

Malignaggi then advised Lamont Roach to not “start too fast,” in the eventual rematch. Rather he would love to see him put pressure on Gervonta Davis slowly after measuring him up. The boxing analyst believes that if the fight goes on to later rounds, Tank would once again start fouling, similar to what he did on March 1. He claimed, “You’re dealing with a guy that you know you’ll bring the b***h out of him as the fight wears on.” 

However, Malignaggi did not dismiss the physical capabilities of Gervonta Davis. With 28 KO victories, he is one of the scariest punchers in modern boxing. However, according to a Brooklyn native, it won’t matter if the fight drags on. He declared, “Gervonta Davis is mentally weak, but he is physically talented.” So, Roach just has to follow the same plan, just with more authority.

Undoubtedly, the whole world is waiting excitedly for this fight. And it is not only Paulie Malignaggi who believes that Lamont Roach will have an upper hand. Ryan Garcia‘s father and coach, Henry Garcia, also believes that the scales are tipping against Tank due to his glaring weakness.

Gervonta Davis’s weakness in full display

In a recent interview with FightHub TV, Garcia Sr. didn’t hold back against Gervonta Davis. He declared, “His age is catching up to him. The legs aren’t there as they used to be,” targeting Tank. Given Tank is only 30 years old at the moment, the statement is rather shocking.

However, Garcia believes that the Marylander does not have the same explosiveness he showed against his son a few years ago. Furthermore, the veteran believes that replacing longtime mentor Calvin Ford with Barry Hunter before the Roach fight negatively impacted Davis. “He switched his trainer, which could be another factor,” he declared.

While the age factor does not seem valid here, Davis indeed looked like a shell of his best self. He was slow and indecisive. Maybe the rumors that he does not have the same drive are indeed true. And if that is the case, the rematch is indeed going to be bad for him. What do you think? Let us know your thoughts down below.