Lamont Roach knows his position in the sport of boxing. He also knows how to play it well.

Practically everyone that stands in front of Gervonta Davis has to play a secondary role. The 30-year-old is a pound-for-pound star and one of the most recognizable faces in the sport. From kissing babies to signing autographs, Davis’ chokehold on stardom isn’t losing its grip.

Roach, for as good as he is, knows that Barclays Center on January 1st, will be chanting Davis’ name while in all likelihood, booing his. The 29-year-old is perfectly fine with Davis having an abnormally large fanbase. He’s also fine with most of the spotlight being placed upon the Baltimore native. Outside of his training, there’s only one thing that Roach is focused on.

“It’s kind of his show,” admitted Roach on an episode of Gloves Off: Tank vs Roach. “I’m the villain. I’m definitely here to play a damn good villain role.”

Roach’s confidence seeps through his pores but the betting world and consensus amongst boxing figureheads is that Davis is levels above him. Roach’s self-belief, however, has carried him incredibly far in the sport. After losing to Jamel Herring several years ago, he recently won his first world title against Hector Luis Garcia. He also defended said title against Feargal McCrory.

Davis, on the other hand, has been busy as well. What takes up most of his time is brutal training camps that result in fan-pleasing knockout wins. Frank Martin was his latest victim. He also stuck his chest out and promised victory, just like Roach and those before him, only to come up woefully short.

If you want to stay on Roach’s good side, don’t bring up past opponents that Davis has dealt with. From his point of view, none have brought to the table what he will. His unique set of skills, along with what even Davis described as “sneaky” power, will give him the results he desperately needs.

“I’m a whoop his a--.”