Gervonta “Tank” Davis retained his WBA lightweight title in a highly controversial majority draw against Lamont Roach Jr. at a tense and scrappy bout in New York.
Davis, the undefeated champion entering the fight with a perfect 30-0 record, faced off against Roach, the WBA super-featherweight titleholder.
Despite Davis’ impressive record, the fight was far from a smooth victory for him.
The ninth round saw an unusual and contentious moment when Davis voluntarily dropped to one knee, though no punch had landed to cause the action.
The referee did not call this as a knockdown, which sparked confusion and frustration from Roach and his camp.
Roach, speaking after the fight, argued that Davis’ kneeing should have been counted as a knockdown, which would have shifted the outcome in his favor.
“If you voluntarily take a knee and the ref’s not counting, that’s a knockdown,” Roach said.
“If that’s a knockdown, I win the fight.”
Despite the controversy, the judges scored the fight in a manner that reflected the heated nature of the contest.
Two judges scored the fight 114-114, declaring it a draw, while a third gave Davis a slight edge with a 115-113 scorecard.
The result left Roach visibly displeased, particularly with the perceived mishandling of the ninth-round knee incident.
Davis explained his actions after the fight, claiming that the grease in his hair, which had been styled just days before the fight, dripped into his eyes and caused significant discomfort. “It burned my eyes,” Davis explained, hinting at this as the reason behind his kneeing to the canvas.
As the result stood, Davis retained his title, but the bout was marred by the unresolved controversy over the ninth-round incident. Roach, for his part, was vocal about his belief that he had been robbed of a rightful victory and called for a rematch.
In the undercard, unbeaten Alberto Puello successfully defended his WBC light-welterweight title in a split decision victory over Spain’s Sandor Martin. The judges scored the fight 115-113 and 116-112 for Puello, with the third judge siding with Martin at 115-113.
While Davis may have walked away with the win, the night’s events sparked debates that may ultimately lead to a much-anticipated rematch between the two fighters.
