Junior featherweight Tramaine Williams served as a sparring partner for Lamont Roach Jnr ahead of Roach’s fight with Gervonta “Tank” Davis on Saturday. After finishing the camp, Williams left impressed with Roach’s skill set.

Roach-Davis will headline an Amazon Prime pay-per-view at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Williams, a 32-year-old from New Haven, Connecticut, has known the Roach family since he was a child. They didn’t speak much given both team’s business-like approach to boxing. Not unlike most things tied to the Roach family, “Boogaloo” Bernard Roach played a central role. He is the man who laid the foundation for Lamont Roach Jnr’s journey. 

“I knew Lamont since I was 11 or 12 years old,” Williams told BoxingScene. “I knew him and his father and his Uncle Boogaloo, may he rest in peace. Boogaloo and my coach were really cool because, I remember, whenever they saw each other they had the utmost respect for each other, so they always talked at tournaments.”

Under trainer Brian Clark, Williams was expected to be all business at national tournaments. He didn’t get to go to the pool. He didn’t hang out with other fighters. He trained. He fought. And then he repeated it all over again. Williams heard that Roach, 29, of Washington D.C., might be interested in having him come to camp to help him prepare for the Davis fight, and Williams was eager to help.

“They asked me back when the fight was supposed to be in November or December,” Williams said. “His father called me and asked if I was ready to help. Of course I went.”

Williams was one of Roach’s main sparring partners for this training camp, which was held in Florida. Williams – whose job was to mimic Davis, 30-0 (28 KOs), a 30-year-old from Baltimore – was surprised at the way Roach, 25-1-1 (10 KOs), stayed so poised in the ring.

“He doesn't go for any tricks,” Williams said of Roach. “I'm a slick fighter, so I use a lot of tricks. He doesn’t fall for any of that stuff.”

Lamont Roach Snr, the father/trainer of Lamont Jnr, told Williams that he had been a fan of his since the first time he saw him 20 years ago. Williams, 20-2 (6 KOs), last fought in 2023, losing a unanimous decision to Elijah Pierce. The camp rejuvenated him, allowing him to get a sense of where he stacked up against the current top fighters.

“It felt like I was a kid again,” Williams said. “His father knew me 20 years ago, even though we didn't speak much back then. They always saw me. This camp was like going back to being an amateur fighter. We would go to the gym, we worked and went back. It was so fun. It was stress-free for five or six weeks.”