Gervonta 'Tank' Davis officially returns against Lamont Roach on March 1 in New York

After more than two years away, Gervonta "Tank" Davis is returning to the east coast for his next fight.

Davis is officially set to defend his WBA lightweight title on March 1 against the reigning WBA champion at the weight below, super featherweight Lamont Roach, Premier Boxing Champions announced Friday afternoon. Davis vs. Roach headlines a "PBC on Prime Video" pay-per-view broadcast from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) and Roach (25-1-1, 10 KOs) have engaged in a war of words on social media since their fight was first floated in October, which they will no doubt continue when they come head-to-head for the first time on Dec. 3 at a launch press conference in New York.

The pair were initially expected to fight in December, however the fight was pushed back.

"Tank" previously topped the bill at the Barclays Center in May 2022 when he halted Rolando Romero to retain the secondary version of his WBA strap.

Davis became one of U.S. boxing's biggest attractions after his seventh-round stoppage of Ryan Garcia in a colossal clash in April 2023. The bout sold more than 1.2 million pay-per-views and generated $22.8 million in ticket sales, making it — at the time — the biggest fight in U.S. boxing since the first Saul "Canelo" Alvarez vs. Gennadiy Golovkin match in 2017.

Legal issues forced a 14-month absence for Davis after his career-best win over Garcia, but he returned to Las Vegas against Frank Martin in June. The unbeaten Martin was competitive throughout the bout until Davis produced a spectacular knockout in the eighth round.

Roach's sole career defeat came in 2019 when he first challenged for the WBO world title, losing a competitive decision at the hands of Jamel Herring. He was victorious in his second attempt last November, winning a split decision over Hector Luis Garcia on the David Benavidez vs. Demetrius Andrade undercard to claim the WBA super-featherweight belt.

A native of Washington D.C., Roach also fought just once in 2024, stopping an overmatched Feargal McCrory in his June homecoming.

Many voices within boxing have expressed disappointment that Davis isn't facing a big name at 135 pounds. The 30-year-old was supposed to fight Vasiliy Lomachenko for his second bout of 2024, however Lomachenko decided against fighting again in 2024.

Matchups with Lomachenko or Shakur Stevenson remain tantalizing for Davis in 2025. Garcia recently told Uncrowned that he would also entertain a rematch with Davis, which would be extremely lucrative.