The boxing world was stunned when Gervonta “Tank” Davis narrowly escaped with a majority draw against Lamont Roach at Barclays Center. Davis, the undefeated favorite, surprised everyone by taking a knee in the ninth round, causing confusion among fans and officials.
Referee Steve Willis seemed to start a 10-count after Davis’ unexpected move, which should have been considered a knockdown. Despite this, the fight continued without Roach receiving credit for knocking down Davis. The judges ultimately scored the bout 114-114, 114-114, and 115-113 in favor of Davis, resulting in a majority draw and allowing him to retain the WBA lightweight title.
This outcome marked the first non-win in Davis’ career, maintaining his undefeated record at 30-0-1. During a post-fight interview, Davis attributed his knee-drop to grease from his recent hair treatment burning his eyes, a statement that was met with skepticism from the crowd.
Roach, who believed he should have won, expressed disappointment over the decision. Other boxing figures, including Terence Crawford and Shawn Porter, voiced their disagreement with the judges’ ruling, arguing that Davis’ knee should have been counted as a knockdown.
Despite the controversy, Davis managed to hold onto his title, but the aftermath of this fight left many questioning the fairness of the outcome.