Fans of Gervonta “Tank” Davis will have to wait a little longer for the WBA lightweight champion to return to the ring. On Friday, November 29, Premier Boxing Champions released information that Davis would defend his title against Lamont Roach Jr. on March 1 on a pay-per-view card on Prime. The event will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Roach has been the opponent for months, but the date has changed from January to March and the venue has moved from Houston to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Tank is no stranger to Barclays Center. The unbeaten pound-for-pound contender has picked up three explosive stoppage victories locally. Davis has become one of boxing’s biggest stars, with a growing fan base and a reputation as one of the sport’s hardest hitters. His exploits in Brooklyn contributed to his rise.

In January 2017, Davis knocked out Jose Pedraza at the Barclays to win the IBF super featherweight title.

In April 2018, Tank destroyed Jesus Cuellar in four rounds in Brooklyn. During Tank’s last visit to the Barclays in May 2022, he got into a firefight with Rolando Romero.

Tank picked up the sixth-round knockout victory but was trailing by one scorecard at the time of the stoppage.

Regardless of location, Davis will be heavily favored over Roach, who is a featherweight champion and is moving up in weight to face one of the sport’s most devastating punchers.

I spoke to Roach last month when the fight seemed much closer than it is now, and he seemed primed for a fight where almost no one gives him a chance to win.

“I know I’m the best,” Roach said when I asked him what made him confident about taking on the challenge of fighting Tank. “I’m not a little 130-pounder for all the people who don’t know. Furthermore, Tank isn’t a big guy. I’m probably taller than him; Height and body mass. It’s not really a big difference. I will feel more comfortable at 135 pounds. It’s five fewer pounds to lose. That’s definitely one of the biggest factors.”

The undercard for the fight will be interesting. It hasn’t been announced yet, but with Riyadh Season planning a big card on February 22nd, PBC may want to counter with a big show of their own.

The intriguing fight between Errol Spence and Sebastian Fundora appears to be in limbo as Spence recently posted on X that he hasn’t spoken to anyone in months. Spence may be trolling fans, but if things were put on hold with PBC, the change in the date and location of the tank fight might have something to do with the switch.

It’s amazing how two relative outsiders, Turki Alalshikh and Jake Paul, have forced their way into boxing, disrupted the course of things and now appear to be influencing the moves of the decision makers who came before them.