Gervonta Davis maintains his undefeated record as the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) decided to support the controversial draw in his fight against Lamont Roach Jr.
Davis and Roach faced each other last Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The bout was the main event of a pay-per-view show broadcast on Amazon Prime Video.
While Davis, with a record of 30 wins, 0 losses, 1 draw, and 28 knockouts, was heavily favored before the fight, Roach, 25 wins, 1 loss, 2 draws, and 10 knockouts, earned significant praise for his performance.
Roach’s performance was strong enough to potentially secure a victory. Crucially, a 10-8 round should have changed the fight’s outcome in his favor.
However, in the ninth round, when Davis went down on one knee, referee Steve Willis started a count but then incorrectly ruled it a no knockdown.
The decision to call a knockdown is at the referee’s discretion. However, because Roach had just landed a punch before Davis took a knee, Willis’s ruling was met with widespread disbelief from viewers.
Roach’s team sought to overturn the fight result, but multiple news sources report that the NYSAC has stood by its initial assessment.
Boxing journalist Dan Rafael reports that the commission, in a letter to the attorneys of both Davis and Roach from the NYSAC executive director, acknowledged Willis’s mistake but still upheld the draw.
Both fighters have expressed interest in a rematch on social media, meaning Roach might get another chance to defeat the highly-rated Davis.
