Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach Jr fought to a controversial draw in their recent lightweight title bout. The fight's result continues to stir up debate in the boxing community.
Davis, the WBA lightweight champion, faced off against Roach, a 29-year-old underdog from Washington who stepped up one weight class for the chance at the title. The match ended in a majority draw, a result that's left many questioning the outcome.
The fight's pivotal moment came in the ninth round. Davis took a knee after a jab from Roach, but referee Steve Willis stopped his count and didn't score it as a knockdown. If ruled a knockdown, that round could have given Roach a 10-8 score and potentially the victory.
Following the fight, Roach's team asked the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) to overturn the result. The NYSAC rejected this appeal, deciding to let the original decision stand.
Former welterweight champion Shawn Porter shared his thoughts on the fight during his podcast, 'The PorterWay'.
"For anybody that judged that fight and thought that Lamont won or thought that it was a draw go back and watch the fight again and actually see that there could have been points where you thought that because 'Tank' wasn't in control that he just lost the round, it isn't always that way, so just go back and watch it again."
Porter added his own scoring of the match:
"I haven't watched it again, I had it scored a draw. Lamont fought a fantastic fight, if he had won the fight I would not have argued, if he had lost the fight then I would have argued because of that one moment in the fight, that was a legitimate knockdown, but outside of that I had it scored a draw."
The controversial nature of the fight has both Davis and Roach eager for a rematch. Fans can expect to see these two face off again this summer, as both fighters have expressed their desire for an immediate rematch.
