Boxing was hit with yet another controversy when Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis retained his WBA lightweight title on Saturday night over challenger Lamont Roach Jr. in New York.
The moment in question came in the ninth round of their 12-round affair when ‘Tank’ took a knee and hightailed it to his corner to wipe his face due to excess grease from his hair running down into his eye. Regardless of the reason, a fighter taking a deliberate knee is considered a knockdown which would have given Roach a 10-8 round on the scorecards.
Instead, referee Steve Willis chose to simply issue a warning to Davis and the defending champ ended up winning the round 10-9 as a result.
With the bout being ruled a majority draw (two 114-114 cards with one card reading 115-113 in favor of Davis), Willis’ non-call ultimately allowed Davis to keep his lightweight belt and undefeated record intact.
However, that may no longer be the case.
Roach Jr. suggests Controversial Loss Against ‘Tank’ will be overturned
Taking to X on Monday, Lamont Roach Jr. suggested that the maligned result could be overturned, crowning the current WBA super featherweight titleholder a two-division champion.
“Word round the block yall fav fight finna be 30-1 not 30-0-1… 🫣 2X x 2 Division champ,” Roach Jr. wrote in the post.
Roach Jr. is expected to appeal the decision. Perhaps he’s already been informed that an appeal would result in the decision being overturned. Or maybe he’s just adding fuel to the fire. Only time will tell.
If the decision is overturned, it would result in Davis losing both his WBA title and his undefeated record, dropping him to an official record of 30-1. Regardless, both fighters have already expressed interest in an immediate rematch.
