Lamont Roach Aims to Accelerate Gervonta Davis' Retirement Plans With a KO

EVEN EARLIER RETIREMENT TMZSports.com

Gervonta "Tank" Davis' retirement might come sooner than he expected ... 'cause Lamont Roach tells TMZ Sports he plans to knock him out on March 1st and end his career.

Tank claims he's hanging up his gloves at the end of the year, but will enter the ring several more times before his departure -- starting with his matchup against Roach, who he'll face at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Roach, a 25-1 super featherweight, is well aware of Tank's plans ... and is determined to interrupt his agenda by making him quit earlier with a knockout.

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"I worked my ass off," Roach said of the fight. "If he's on his way out, why not kick his ass…