It has been a few days since the controversial Gervonta Davis bout, yet Lamont Roach is still stuck there. And why won’t he be? The Washington native delivered one of the finest performances of his career, yet a controversial referee call, or lack thereof, reduced his win to a majority decision draw—a call that has stirred up the entire boxing community. The incident happened during the ninth round of the March 1 bout after Roach countered the 30-year-old with a three-punch combo. A moment later, Davis took a knee and ran into his corner as his team wiped his face with a towel. It was later revealed that the Baltimorean had trouble with his hair grease, which had made its way into his eye. However, despite this explanation, the controversy stemmed from the fact that referee Steve Willis chose not to call it a knockdown.
According to the rules, as soon as Gervonta Davis took the knee, it should have been counted as a knockdown. However, referee Steve Willis decided to let the fight continue without any repercussions, and in the end, Tank walked away with his WBA title courtesy of a split decision draw. But what about the World Boxing Association (WBA)? What do they have to say? Surely, they see the issue here, right? Nope.
Lamont Roach demands his knockdown
After the controversial fight, the WBA published an article on their website that seems to suggest that they saw nothing wrong in the referee’s call. “From our perspective, Willis’ decision was not unreasonable or unjustifiable. He ruled in real-time that Davis had not been struck by a punch before going down, and therefore, no knockdown should be recorded. Judges, by regulation, must follow the referee’s rulings—they do not have the authority to override his decisions on knockdowns,” read the article.
This once again forced Lamont Roach Jr. to share his frustration on social media. “Yall tweakin if yall think buddy was off or some shit or had an off night.” According to him, Gervonta Davis was not off his game on March 1 like everyone is claiming it to be. It was his inspiring performance which led to the match being dragged till the 12th round. Because “That s**t just different in there with me. I told yall from the start,” he added.
Yall tweakin if yall think buddy was off or some shit or had an off night. That shit just different in there with me. I told yall from the start. Just because I (everybody else too) feel like I won yall acting like I said he was easy work or some shit. The knockdown gives me a UD
— Lamont Roach Jr (@OneOf1x) March 5, 2025
“Just because I (everybody else too) feel like I won yall acting like I said he was easy work or some shit,” Roach exclaimed. Even though the WBA super featherweight champion believes that he should have won the fight, he did not downplay Gervonta Davis’ abilities. So, instead of everyone claiming that Tank had an off day, the reality is that he had a sensational performance.
And that is exactly why he refused to believe that Tank had trouble with grease. Instead, he believes it was a delayed knockdown and “The knockdown gives me a UD,” he stated. Roach and his team have now appealed to NYSAC personally to overturn the decision in a four-page letter.
More contention against Gervonta Davis
According to prominent boxing insider, Dan Rafael of Fight Freaks Unite, Roach’s attorney, Greg Smith, sent a letter to NYSAC executive director Matt Delaglio on Tuesday to review the fight. The report by Rafael also revealed the demand made by his legal team.
According to the letter, Roach’s team is asking NYSAC to declare The Reaper as “the true winner of the bout—either via TKO due to Mr. Davis removing himself from the Bout or being disqualified for carrying an illegal irritant into the ring, or via decision after scores have been adjusted to reflect the knockdown.”
The letter also includes several allegations against Gervonta Davis’ team, including a rule violation by Calvin Ford, Davis’ trainer, wiping Davis’ face, which is a ground for disqualification.
With the WBA’s reluctance to overturn the decision, it looks like the only way to settle this controversy is with a rematch. Both Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach have expressed their desire for a rematch. Furthermore, if everything falls into place, we can see the rematch by May, something that every fan would love. Till then, what are your views on Davis taking the knee?
The post “The Knockdown Gives Me a UD”: Lamont Roach Jr. Rejects WBA’s Verdict on Gervonta Davis Fight appeared first on EssentiallySports.