Surely, Gervonta Davis is not the same force he was 2 years ago, right? However, he is still one of the most lethal fighters active today. Ever since making his debut more than a decade ago, Tank has won every single fight, except one—a majority draw against Lamont Roach Jr. last month. The Reaper not only took him the distance, but one could argue that Davis’ unbeaten streak only remained intact because of a bad call on the referee’s part.

It has been a month, and the duo has been in a back-and-forth, hurling accusations at each other. The story took another wild turn recently when Roach downplayed Gervonta Davis’ threat even further, refusing to crown him as the hardest puncher he’s ever faced.

The hardest puncher Lamont Roach Jr. ever faced

Before sitting down with former undefeated legend Andre Ward for an interview on his podcast, Roach shot some Q&A for All The Smoke’s social media. The first question hurled towards the Washington native was: “Is Gervonta Davis the hardest puncher you’ve ever faced?” It was supposed to be a tricky question given Roach’s loaded resume. However, he replied instantly with a straight, “No.” He quickly elaborated that it was not a jab at Gervonta Davis’ threat because of the animosity between the duo. “I ain’t shaming Gervonta like that. He can punch,” he said.

The WBA super featherweight champion doubled down on his answer and crowned Jonathan Oquendo-Arnaldias the hardest puncher he’s ever faced. “Jonathan Oquendo, he’s from Puerto Rico. Bro, he got bricks in his hands, bro. He punch hard, I ain’t gonna lie. He’s a hard-hitting m****f***r,” Roach responded. Roach faced Arnaldi in 2019 to a unanimous decision victory in a closely contested bout.

Well, Lamont Roach has shared his verdict, and it doesn’t look like he would change it unless Gervonta Davis rewrites the script in the rematch. However, he will need to bring something new to avoid history repeating itself.

Gervonta Davis’ biggest mistake

A few weeks ago, veteran trainer Henry Garcia spoke to FightHub TV to share his verdict on the March 1 bout. “His age is catching up to him. The legs aren’t there as they used to be,” he stated, reflecting on Gervonta Davis’ dismal performance.

Given Garcia Sr. saw his son Ryan Garcia getting knocked out by Tank 2 years ago, he isn’t just speculating. He further added, “He switched his trainer, which could be another factor.” The Baltimorean’s decision to replace Calvin Ford with Barry Hunter was truly a baffling decision that raised many eyebrows.

While Ford dismissed any sort of bad blood between the two, Henry Garcia assumed that change in camp may have in some way contributed to the result. Maybe having Ford back in his role as Tank’s primary coach can help yield a different outcome next time.

Whether Gervonta Davis will pay heed to Garcia Sr.’s advice or not, time will tell. However, the WBA lightweight champion will surely have to tweak certain things to change the surrounding narrative. Who is your pick in the rematch? Let us know your thoughts down below.