Choices have consequences. On March 1, 2025, Gervonta Davis faced repercussions for his. Despite ignoring the likes of Shakur Stevenson, Vasiliy Lomachenko, and picking WBA super featherweight champion Lamont Roach Jr. as his first opponent of 2025, he couldn’t get the job done. The fight ended in a controversial majority draw, giving Roach a rematch and leaving a permanent scar on Tank’s legacy.

The result could have been completely different if referee Steve Willis had counted Tank taking a knee in the ninth round as a knockdown. Despite the oversight, the fight is history, and the 30-year-old is eager to move forward. However, the boxing world isn’t going to let him forget it quite easily. Devin Haney‘s father mocked the Baltimorean again, doubling down on the warning Roach sent ahead of the bout.

Devin Haney’s father knew the critics were wrong

Recently, Bill Haney Sr. sat down with Naji Chill for a candid episode of the Cigar Talk podcast. During the conversation, he reflected on his son’s fight against Ryan Garcia, dismissing the surrounding narrative of “cherry picking.” He stated, “Picking a guy doesn’t mean that you do cherry picking like some of the other fighters,” justifying Devin Haney’s strategic matchmaking.

The controversial bit came afterwards when he dropped a bombshell on Gervonta Davis’s lacklustre performance against Roach. “You can go cherry picking wrong, and I think that’s might what happened with your man Tank,” he declared. Naji Chill, a huge fan of the 30-0-1 fighter, laughed off the comment.

But when asked by Naji to elucidate, Haney Sr. didn’t mince his words and declared, “He just thought it was a cherry familiar that he could go and pick right. Yeah, that he was familiar with that cherry, cuz he had played around with it, so I can go pick it right now in front of the people.” Bill Haney claimed that he knew Roach would be far tougher than the boxing world was giving him credit for. “Everybody said that I was crazy. When Lamont Roach came up from 30 and said that he was little, and I said that he was too little,” he explained.

Coincidentally, Lamont Roach echoed the same confidence ahead of the bout. He tried to warn Gervonta Davis on the same podcast in December, claiming that he won’t like Tank’s previous fighters. “I’ve got the same skill level as Tank. I’ve got the same experience as Tank,” said The Reaper.

Gervonta Davis indeed ignored all the signs and basically strolled into the fight. The result? He is now stuck with this rematch, costing him a reported $40 million opportunity.

Lamont Roach vs. Gervonta Davis 2: More than money

Reports and Jake Paul’s own admission revealed that Tank was on the verge of a blockbuster $40 million showdown with the Problem Child, had his March 1, 2025, fight against Lamont Roach not ended in a stunning majority draw. However, for Roach, his fight with Davis was never about money.

Reportedly, The Reaper also turned down a title defense, which would have earned him more. For him, it was about legacy, and he thinks the June rematch will be the same for Tank. Speaking to Andre Ward a few days ago, Roach dismissed the growing narrative that Gervonta Davis may have taken it easy on him in the first bout. “They say he’s supposed to fight Jake Paul next after he was supposed to ‘clean me up’,” he stated.

He further claimed that if the fight against Jake Paul was almost confirmed, why would Davis risk that money by taking it easy on him? “Jake Paul going to guarantee you about 40 million if the fight is with a notable person, which is ‘Tank’. Why would he take it easy on me? Why would he sacrifice that, especially if he’s talking about retiring and that’s his exit plan? If that’s the case, why would he do that? That baffles me,” he argued.

Andre Ward agreed with the WBA super featherweight champion, and honestly, his logic holds weight. Given this is Gervonta Davis’ last year, the best route for him is to get those big fights against Paul and Shakur Stevenson and bid farewell. Why would he deliberately derail all those plans? Let us know your thoughts down below.