Although he throws his blinders on, puts his head down, and continues to put in the work, it’s almost impossible to ignore the criticism at this point.

Gervonta Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) is viewed as a global superstar, one of the faces of boxing, and one of the best fighters on the planet. So, naturally, pundits and fans expect him to fight the best of the best. And, for as good as Lamont Roach has been in his career, in the eyes of many, he’s never been viewed as that.

The Ring’s No. 4 ranked junior lightweight, nevertheless, was arbitrarily given the call recently. After a quick conclave, Roach agreed to move up to 135 pounds to challenge The Ring’s No. 1 ranked lightweight.

After receiving their fight date, Roach immured himself in an arduous training camp. On a daily basis, sweat drips from his forehead, and his body aches from the intense strength and conditioning regimen he’s undergoing.

Once he’s alone and pulls out his cell phone, however, the chastising notifications flood his device. Roach, 29, has a difficult time understanding where all of it is coming from. He’s a newly minted world champion after lifting said title from Hector Luis Garcia in 2023. He also successfully defended his crown against Feargal McCrory via stoppage.

Davis though, is widely expected to brutally stop Roach in his tracks before forcing him to head back down in weight. The opinions of his doubters are something that he will simply have to deal with. And while he isn’t necessarily worried about the outside noise, he won’t sit back and allow anyone to diminish or downplay his abilities.

“I’m really him,” said an animated Roach on a self-recorded video. “I bring any type of smoke to anything in my way. I am him in that ring.”