The New York State Athletic Commission broke silence on the biggest controversy from Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach Jr.
WBA lightweight titleholder Gervonta Davis retained his title via majority draw against Lamont Roach Jr. on Saturday in Brooklyn, but the result didn’t come without controversy.
After 12 rounds of back-and-forth action, Davis and Roach went to a draw in front of a soldout crowd at the Barclays Center. It was arguably the toughest test of Davis’ WBA lightweight title reign, and other boxers like Terence Crawford and Jake Paul believed Roach did enough to earn the win on the judges’ scorecards.
A pivotal moment took place in Round 9 following a jab from Roach that initially appeared to stun Davis. After the punch landed, Davis walked away and took a knee, leading referee Steve Willis to start a 10-count.
But Willis stopped the count after ‘3’, and didn’t give Roach credit for a knockdown. If it was ruled the other way, Roach would’ve won the fight by majority decision.
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Commission blames ‘technical issue’ for Gervonta Davis knockdown controversy
In a statement to ESPN‘s Mike Coppinger, NYSAC addressed the controversial moment.
“During the round in question, following the commission’s request for the replay video, there was a technical issue preventing the commission from receiving it within the allotted time for review,” an NYSAC spokesperson told ESPN. “Therefore, the referee’s in-ring decision was relied upon and the fight continued.
“The commission is dedicated to preserving the integrity of combative sports and is committed to working with all promotions and production teams — on behalf of the athletes, officials, and fans — to ensure technical issues do not occur in the future that prevent the delivery of ringside instant replay feeds to the commission’s officials when needed.”
Davis blamed a pre-fight hairstylist for putting too much grease in his hair in the leadup to the Roach fight. He claimed grease got into his eye during the fight, leading him to be unable to see briefly before taking the knee.
Gervonta Davis calls for Lamont Roach Jr. rematch after majority draw
Davis believes he did enough to win the fight and wants an immediate rematch with Roach if the two sides can work out a deal. Before the event, Davis teased that this was his last year in boxing, but that timetable might be pushed back after the Roach fight.
After the draw, Davis remains unbeaten in his professional boxing career, with recent wins over Frank Martin, Ryan Garcia, and Rolando Romero. Roach bounced back from his first professional loss to go on a now-seven-fight unbeaten streak.
Time will tell if the Davis vs. Roach rematch will get booked immediately or if the two parties will move on to other challenges. But for now, their first clash remains enshrouded in controversy after the Round 9 debacle.