Another World Champion Returns Home To Maryland!
Photos from Amanda Westcott/SHOWTIME
Upper Marlboro, Maryland's Lamont Roach Jr. won his first world title by out pointing the now former champion Hector Luis García to capture the WBA junior lightweight belt by split decision.
In his second attempt at a world title belt, Lamont Roach Jr. fought at his own pace in every round including dropping García in the 12th round and winning a split decision by the scores of 116-111, 114-113 and 113-114. The knockdown in the 12th made the difference as Roach avoided a probable rematch if the fight was scored a draw. Roach landed a left-hook on the top of García’s head with 1:20 left in the round and García fell to the canvas for the second time of his career.
“Man, I’ve been waiting to hear ‘And the new’ for a long time,” said Roach, who improved to (24-1-1, 9 KO's). “It’s about time though. All I needed was the spotlight. The first time I was a baby – I was 24 years old. Now I’m seasoned. I don’t think anyone can beat me. Nobody.”
On the knockdown that decided the outcome: "We've been working on this shot for a long time, that hook,” Roach went on. “I'm the best and I want to show I'm the best. Anybody who wants to fight let me know because I want to fight all of you. There's a lot of cool champions at 130. I'll take whoever."
Roach came up short in his first title shot against the saouthpaw Jamel Herring in 2019, but made up for it on his second attempt against García (16-2, 10 KO's). García went up a weight class unsuccessfully when he challenged lightweight titleholder Gervonta Davis of Baltimore, Maryland earlier this year in January. García didn’t answer the bell in the ninth round, complaining of impaired vision.
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