Plenty of fighters claim that they came from the bottom, but for Lamont Roach, he truly came from the basement. After building up his record to a perfect 19-0, Roach finally got his first crack at a world title against Jamel Herring.

On paper, Herring was viewed as the favorite but Roach walked into that 2019 showdown with a ton of confidence. But, despite believing that Herring’s WBO title would be his, Roach was outpointed, losing a fairly wide decision.

It wasn’t easy but Roach has learned to live with it. He picked up four victories in a row and found himself standing in line for a crack at another world title.

Hector Luis Garcia carries around some of the same bravado that Roach does. Once they jumped into the ring and officially got it on this past November, Roach refused to let another opportunity slip by.

Now, with Garcia’s WBA title in his possession, Roach is calling the shots. Somewhat.

The 28-year-old needs a fight to kick off his 2024. Although the super featherweight division has a ton of names to choose from, Roach recently admitted that fighting Herring again is a possibility. If and only if, the numbers are right.

“Jamel Herring rematch, if it makes sense,” Roach told YSM Sports Media. “If it makes sense.”

The title that Herring once held is long gone but he’s hoping to make another run. After eschewing a transient retirement and stopping Nicholas Molina, Herring pontificated that Joe Cordina is number one on his hit list. Is the feeling mutual? That answer is unknown, but with that said, grabbing another belt before he walks away from the game is at the top of Herring’s agenda.

Roach appears to be entering stage two of his career. Winning a title was salient but now, he refuses to take any pay cuts. So, if representatives from Herring want to make things happen, they’ll have to fork over a bit of cash.

“That could be a defense for sure, if it makes sense. I want everybody to know that. If it makes sense. If it don’t then sad to say, it won’t happen.”