A knockdown that was not scored: The controversial “majority draw” decision in the Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach world championship fight is causing controversy, but will now not be corrected.
The New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) has decided not to change the majority draw on March 1 between Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach. The commission informed Roach’s lawyers that he should have been credited with a knockdown in the fight against the WBA champion and that referee Steve Willis had made a mistake. However, the result will not change.
Decision not decisive
The NYSAC argues that the referee erred in his decision not to count Gervonta Davis. However, because there were three full rounds of boxing after Willis’ decision (no knockdown) and the fighters inevitably abided by the referee’s decision, Willis’ decision was not the deciding factor in the outcome.
Roach had lost the duel according to the judges’ scores (113-115, 114-114, 114-114), but subsequently appealed to the commission to revise the result. The reason for the super featherweight champion’s complaint: Referee Willis had made a mistake in the ninth round of the world championship fight at the Barclays Center in New York (USA). Roach had landed several punches when Davis suddenly turned away from the action and took a knee. Afterwards, “Tank” went to his corner, where co-trainer Calvin Ford wiped his face.
Instead of consistently assessing Davis’ knee contact with the ring floor as a knockdown, the referee stopped the count and only issued a warning. A breach of the rules – as was Davis coach Ford’s climbing up to the ring, which can lead to a point deduction or even disqualification. The world champion from Baltimore then explained that his eyes were burning from a hair chemical that had been applied two days earlier.
“The chance to correct it”
Two judges scored the controversial ninth round 10:9 for Davis – if the score had been 10:8 for Roach in accordance with the rules, this would have been the victory for him. “It’s a disappointment, but we had to protest,” said “ProBox TV” founder Garry Jonas, whose channel supports Roach. “As soon as we get Lamont back in the ring, we’ll have a chance to put it right.”
Roach himself told “BoxingScene” that he had hoped that the commission would award him the victory, as the investigation into the matter had taken some time. Now he and his team are hoping that Gervonta Davis will return to the fight to clear up any ambiguities.
Text: Frank Schwantes