Roach has now claimed that a second meeting came much closer to reality than fans realized.

“Obviously, that is the rematch that I want; they chose not to do the rematch, just so that everyone knows,” Roach said during an interview with FightHype. “We were ready, we signed our contract, we did our business to make the rematch happen – the other side didn’t. So let’s just make that clear.

“Other than that, I am not too worried about it. I am not hanging my hat on a Gervonta Davis rematch, I did what I was supposed to do that night in the ring, I should have got the victory but it is what it is, life goes on, man, and I am going to move on to bigger and better things.”

For Roach, the Davis fight elevated his profile to a level that previous accomplishments had not. The former WBA super featherweight champion had already defeated Hector Garcia to win a world title and later battled Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz to a draw at light welterweight, but neither performance generated the attention that came with pushing one of boxing’s biggest attractions to the limit.

Both fighters are now heading in different directions.

Roach (26-1-2, 10 KOs) is set to challenge William Zepeda for the vacant WBC lightweight title on August 1 in Las Vegas. Davis, meanwhile, was recently downgraded to WBA champion-in-recess and has been ordered to face mandatory challenger Floyd Schofield if he intends to reclaim full championship status.

Should Roach overcome Zepeda and Davis return successfully against Schofield, the rematch that never materialized could once again become one of the most compelling fights in the lightweight division.