Of course, Gervonta Davis is focused on winning but more than anything, he makes it his job to test the willpower and determination of his opponents. In other words, how badly do you want it?

For the most part, The Ring’s No. 1 ranked lightweight finds the fight-ending punch before all three judges sitting ringside can turn in their scorecards. Lamont Roach has watched the skull of every Davis opponent bounce off the canvas. He may not want to hear it, but on March 1st, most are expecting Roach to follow that same pattern.

Knowing how dangerous Davis is, Roach (25-1-1, 10 KOs) is putting in extra work. He’s tightening up his defense, working on combination punching, and doing his best to add more power. The latter is what he’s most proud of.

No one would mistake Roach for some monster puncher. Still, he has a feeling that Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) won’t be able to take what he dishes out.

“Yeah,” said Roach on a self-recorded video when asked if he believes he will stop Davis. “Hopefully, he got a chin.”

Power isn’t what he’s known for but Roach did put a beating on Feargal McCrory recently, resulting in an eighth-round stoppage win.

It might be viewed as a good performance but for Roach, it’s deeper than that. Proving to himself that he could put down an undefeated opponent was a boost to his ego, not that he needed it.

Come fight night on March 1st, in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, Roach will clench his fists, walk to the middle of the ring, and bang it out. But don’t expect that all night long. Putting Davis’ lights out early and enjoying a quick workday is ideal but it isn’t exactly pragmatic. So while he’ll try like hell to get his man out of there, Roach isn’t cutting any corners in terms of his conditioning. If Davis can take his best shot for 12 consecutive rounds, then so be it.

“I’m expecting it to be a great fight and I’m prepared to go 12 rounds.”