Gervonta Davis Retains WBA Title After Controversial Draw with Lamont Roach
Gervonta Davis held onto his WBA lightweight title following a highly debated majority draw against Lamont Roach Jr. on Saturday, with a controversial incident in the ninth round becoming a major talking point.
The undefeated Davis, who had won all 30 of his previous bouts, unexpectedly took a knee during the scrappy contest against WBA super-featherweight champion Roach. Despite this, the referee did not rule it as a knockdown. The fight ended with two judges scoring it 114-114, while the third narrowly awarded Davis the win at 115-113.
Roach, 29, expressed frustration over the call, stating, “If you voluntarily go down and the referee doesn’t count, that should still be a knockdown. If that was ruled correctly, I win the fight.”
Davis, 30, later explained that he had recently gotten his hair treated, and the grease applied to it caused irritation in his eyes, prompting him to take a knee. After the moment, he moved toward the ropes, where his team wiped his face with a towel.
The outcome sparked criticism from multiple figures in the boxing community, including four-division world champion Terence Crawford, who argued that Roach was unfairly denied a victory.
“Roach should have won. That was clearly a knockdown. I’ve never seen someone take a knee and not have it counted,” Crawford commented on social media. Roach has since called for a rematch.
In the co-main event, unbeaten Dominican fighter Alberto Puello successfully defended his WBC light-welterweight title, edging out Spain’s Sandor Martin in a split decision. Two judges scored it in Puello’s favor (115-113, 116-112), while the third gave Martin a slight 115-113 advantage.
