Lamont Roach Jr. will head home for his first title defense.
The reigning WBA junior lightweight titlist will next face unbeaten contender Feargal McCrory. The bout will headline a June 28 ProBox TV show from Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington D.C.
Roach hails from nearby Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
Further taking control of his own career, the show is presented by NoXcuse Promotions. The company is run by Lamont Roach Sr., also his son’s manager and head trainer.
“Coming home to defend my title is a dream come true,” noted Roach Jr. “I can’t wait to fight in front of so many friends and family. I know he’s (McCrory) coming for my world title, wanting to keep his ‘0’ and make a name for himself.”
Roach (24-1-1, 9 knockouts) won the title in a split decision over Hector Luis Garcia last November 25 in Las Vegas. The Ring’s No. 5-rated junior lightweight floored the unbeaten Dominican in the final round to claim a split decision victory.
The fight took place on a show presented by Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), who stalled out Roach for months.
This time around, the Roach family gets to call the shots. The event is a rare one for ProBox to take place outside of its homebase in the Central Florida region. Hitting the road was commonplace for the group during its first year. The bulk of its shows since then have been staged at ProBox headquarters in Plant City, Florida.
Being presented with the opportunity to host a major title fight is always a welcomed exception.
“ProBoxTV is excited about working with Lamont Roach Sr. and Jr. Both are a success story in and out of the ring,” said ProBoxTV founder and owner Garry Jonas. “They want to do it their way and they want to fight in DC in front of their people.
“We’ve been able to give them the support they need to make it happen on their terms and we’re excited to put on a solid championship production.”
Roach will fight in the greater D.C. area for the first time since November 2017.
Meanwhile, McCrory (16-0, 8 KOs) hits the road for his first career title fight.
The 31-year-old New York-based southpaw from Northern Ireland has stopped five of his past seven opponents. His most recent win came March 15. McCrory halted Carlos Carlson inside of three rounds at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater. The title challenge versus Roach will mark his sixth consecutive stateside appearance.
The co-feature pits unbeaten Lester Martinez (17-0, 15 KOs) of Guatelama versus veteran Ecuadorian contender Carlos Gongora (22-2, 17 KOs).
Also on the show, San Antonio’s Joshua Franco (18-2-3, 8 KOs) ends his brief retirement to return for the first time in just more than a year. The former WBA 115-pound titlist faces Dominican Republic’s Geraldo Valdez (16-1, 11 KOs) in a 10-round bout.
Other undercard bouts:
Jordan Roach, Lamont’s younger brother, makes his pro debut. The 20-year-old former amateur standout will fight in a four-rounder versus an opponent to be determined.
His amateur teammate, Benjamin Johnson, will also turn pro in a scheduled four-round contest.
Upper Marlboro’s Rianna Rios (7-0, 1 KO) returns to the venue where she fought last May 6.
D.C. prospects Deric Davis (3-0, 3 KOs) and David Whitmire (4-0, 3 KOs) also appear in separate four-round contests.
Jake Donovan a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
