Lamont Roach regrets how he approached his first world title fight six years ago.

Roach admitted during a press conference Thursday that when he challenged then-WBO junior lightweight titleholder Jamel Herring in 2019 that he didn't take him seriously enough. Herring taught Roach an invaluable lesson that night in Fresno, California, by beating his overconfident challenger unanimously on the scorecards (117-111, 117-111, 115-113).

It took Roach four years to get another title shot. He capitalized when he upset Hector Luis Garcia by split decision to win the WBA super featherweight crown.

His victory over the Dominican southpaw in November 2023 helped Roach secure the fight he always wanted with Gervonta Davis. Roach rose to the occasion that night as well, thanks in part to how he improved after what stands as the lone loss of his career against Herring, who has since retired.

Roach reflected on the impact of that setback two days in advance of his fight against Isaac Cruz for the rugged Mexican’s WBC interim super lightweight title at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.

“When I took that little bump in the road, I sat down and looked at myself, like outside of my body, and was like, 'This ain’t where you wanna be,'” Roach recalled. “I was counting my chickens before they hatched. I was 24 years old. I was young. I ain’t necessarily think my opponent was sweet. But I definitely thought I had it in the bag. And then that night I came out a little lackluster. I came on towards the end, doing what I knew I could do.

“But if I woulda started earlier, I woulda been world champion for a lot longer. So that’s something that I never wanted to feel ever again, ever again in my life, [because] I knew that I could've did more and I knew I could've achieved what I had to achieve that night. Now, everybody who’s in front of me is in trouble —

every single step of the way. And I showed it time in and time out. And Saturday night, it’s gonna be the same thing.”

Roach, 30, is scheduled to box for the first time since he gave Davis his most difficult fight March 1 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Had referee Steve Willis correctly counted a knockdown when Davis took a knee early in the ninth round, Roach (25-1-2, 10 KOs) would’ve won the WBA lightweight title on the cards.

Baltimore’s Davis (30-0-1, 28 KOs) exercised his contractual right to an immediate rematch soon after their controversial majority draw. It was postponed and eventually canceled altogether because he accepted an ill-fated fight with Jake Paul, which was also scrapped once Davis was accused of domestic violence by an ex-girlfriend.

Roach, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, will get another chance at becoming a champion in a second weight class vs. Cruz (28-3-1, 18 KOs). The Ring’s fourth-ranked junior lightweight is a 2-1 favorite over Mexico City’s Cruz in their Premier Boxing Champions pay-per-view main event (8 p.m. ET; $74.99).