Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach Jr fought to a majority draw in Brooklyn this month. The closely contested 12-round bout for Davis' WBA Lightweight World Championship ended with controversy.
The match saw one judge score it 115-113 for Davis, while two others had it even at 114-114. What's got everyone talking is what happened in the ninth round. Davis took a knee, but the referee didn't call it a knockdown. If he had, Roach would've won unanimously.
Davis came into the fight as the heavy favorite, but Roach showed up ready to trade with the hard-hitting champ from Baltimore. The challenger's willingness to mix it up made for an exciting back-and-forth battle.
After the fight, boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez weighed in on the controversy. In an interview with Hot 97, Canelo said:
"Yeah, in my opinion it was a draw. He [took] a knee. And plus the corner go up and put a towel in his face. That's a disqualification. For sure. I'm talking about the rules, but it's not my business."
Canelo believes Davis should've been disqualified not just for taking a knee, but also because his corner wiped his face during the incident.
The New York State Athletic Commission looked into the matter after the fight. They decided to let the result stand as called in the ring.
Now, there's talk that the WBA might order an immediate rematch. Davis has already said he wants another go at Roach and is ready to fight as early as May.
The boxing world will keep a close eye on what happens next. Will we see Davis vs Roach II? Only time will tell.
