Gervonta Davis almost lost his undefeated record last month. The WBA world lightweight champion took a knee after getting hit with a stiff jab from Lamont Roach Jr in the ninth round of their title fight. But referee Steve Willis didn't call it a knockdown, and the fight ended in a controversial majority draw.
Davis, a 30-year-old from Baltimore, Maryland, has never lost a professional fight. He was defending his WBA world lightweight title against Roach, known as "The Reaper". If Roach had won, he would've been the first boxer to beat Davis.
The controversy came in the ninth round. Roach landed a solid jab that made Davis drop to one knee. According to boxing rules, this should've been ruled a knockdown. But Willis didn't see it that way, and the fight continued.
Ryan Garcia, who fought Davis before, had some thoughts about what happened. He talked to The Ring Magazine about it:
"It's the rules of boxing. You know, if that's allowed then I'm gonna do that in the ring if I feel like I'm uncomfortable. You know? I'm gonna just take a knee. Did Muhammad Ali take a knee when he had the thing with Sonny Liston? You know, that famous thing [in February 1964] when [Liston allegedly] put something on his gloves. It caused burning [in Ali's eyes], but he didn't take a knee because you can't take a knee."
Garcia compared Davis taking a knee to a famous incident from 1964. In that fight, Muhammad Ali thought Sonny Liston's team put something illegal on his gloves. But Ali didn't stop fighting or take a knee. Garcia thinks Davis shouldn't have taken a knee either.
The fight's outcome has left fans and experts wanting more. There's already talk about a rematch between Davis and Roach. Both fighters seem to agree, and it might happen this summer. If it does, it could be one of the biggest boxing matches of the year.
ESPN reported on the controversial draw, highlighting how close Roach came to becoming champion. The rematch will give both fighters a chance to settle things once and for all.
