Roarke Knapp is here to rewrite his story. On August 9th, the South African junior middleweight returns to Emperors Palace, his home turf, with a hunger sharpened by a painful memory. His last outing, a brutal KO defeat against Bakary Samake in France, still lingers. “To be very honest,” he reflects, “I processed it quite swiftly, but it hurt. Not just me, it hurt the people around me, those who believe in me, who were rooting for me.” Knapp (17-3-1) has fought and lost before. He’s felt the chill of disappointment. Early in his career, he admits, losses used to crush him. “I’d take them personal, they’d keep me down for quite a while.”

 

But somewhere along the line, something changed. “I realised nothing good comes from staying stuck in that feeling. The world keeps turning, and the next fight rolls in whether you’re ready or not. So you get back on the horse, fix the mistakes, and right your wrongs.”

 

Roarke’s upcoming opponent, Jhun Rick Carcedo (11-3) of the Philippines, is a southpaw who brings fire. “They come to fight. That’s all I need to know,” Knapp says with clarity.

 

He doesn’t obsess over opponents. Not because he’s careless, but because he’s careful; careful with his energy, careful with where he places his focus. “I try not to overthink. Otherwise you start creating scenarios that don’t even exist. I deal with what’s in front of me when I get there.”

 

But make no mistake, Knapp is prepared. And he’s candid about what went wrong last time. That fight in France was no ordinary loss. He came in confident, sharp, even a little injured, but committed. “I hurt my hand in camp,” he says. “No sparring for about five weeks leading up. I protected my hand so I could use it when it mattered. I wasn’t gonna let that stop me, come hell or high water, I was going to fight.”

 

The game plan? It was dialled in. He knew what to expect, especially his opponent’s signature combo: a left hook to the body followed by a shot upstairs. “We trained for that,” Knapp says. “Every time he touched the body, we countered.”

 

And it worked. Until the eighth round. Knapp describes the moment with startling honesty. “I pushed the pace, maybe a little too much. He’d caught me with a break shot that drained me a bit, and I paused, just to catch my breath. My feet rested for a split second, and boom, that was enough. He caught me behind the ear, on the way down. A textbook body shot, nothing I could do. Credit to him.”

 

Still, Knapp saw flashes of his potential in that fight. “Each round, I came back to the corner and was told I was behind on points. I couldn’t understand. I was outlanding him, outboxing him, outhooking him in places. I genuinely thought I had it. I dug deep. I stood up for the eighth round thinking, ‘I’m on my way. Just keep going.’”

 

Then came the shot. And everything changed. That loss could’ve shattered him. It didn’t. If anything, it revealed something raw and resilient in Knapp, something he plans to weaponise in this next bout. “I’m just going to win,” he declares. “Whether early or late, distance or KO, it’s about winning at all costs. Textbook boxing. Clean. Clinical. No mistakes.”

 

He’s not chasing revenge. He’s chasing progress. “I don’t believe I should be losing fights. That’s not arrogance, that’s just belief in my abilities. That loss taught me I belong at that level. I just need a few adjustments. And those are done.”

 

Knapp’s story is not just one of grit, it’s also grounded in gratitude. “I’m very grateful to be doing what I love,” he says. “Grateful for my talent, for the support system around me. No matter what happens, I’ll never take this opportunity for granted.”

 

That support system will be in full force at Emperors Palace, a venue he calls his home. “There’s nothing better than having a well-earned victory and going home to your family,” Knapp, now a young father, says. “Fighting at home gives me the edge. The fans, the familiar faces, the energy, it’s part of my rhythm.”

 

Even if the fight were in a parking lot in Kempton Park or a nightclub in Boksburg, Knapp would show up. But Emperors is special. “I’ve got great support there. Loyal fans. It’s personal.”

 

This upcoming fight is critical, not because a title is on the line, but because Knapp is on the line. His resilience. His reputation. His rebound. A win won’t just mend the bruises from his last outing. It will be a declaration that he’s still climbing, still learning, still dangerous.