The New York State Athletic Commission has chosen to let the original 12-round majority draw stand for the March 1st fight between WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach.
It’s a shock to fans that the NYSAC chose not to overturn the draw to change it to a points decision for Roach, disqualification or a knockout due to the events that took place in the ninth round.
Outcome Stands
“Told by an individual that the NYSAC has ruled to keep Gervonta [vs. Lamont Roach] a draw,” said Lance Pugmire on X.
It’s unknown why the New York Commission didn’t overturn the draw to give Roach a victory because the incident in the ninth round was too controversial for the original results to stand.
The judges scored it 115-113 for Gervonta, 114-114 and 114-114.
Tank Davis took a knee moments after being hit by Roach (25-1-2, 10 KOs). Davis then gets up and walks back to his corner, seemingly taking his own timeout, and then having his cornerman wipe off the oil from his eyes.
The referee, Steve Willis, failed to act and allowed Gervonta to take over, as if he were the boss in charge. Some feel that the referee was incompetent in that moment. He froze and didn’t know what to do.
What worsens the whole thing is that it involved the superstar Tank Davis, which gives the appearance to fans that the referee gave him preferential treatment. If he were just a regular fighter, it would still look bad, but not quite as much. You’d still think the referee blew it by not calling a knockdown when Davis took the knee, but much less attention would be paid to it.
With the draw standing, it allows Gervonta to hold onto his WBA lightweight title, and either move on or face Roach in a rematch. The two are supported to fight again, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Tank chooses to skip on that idea now that the NYSAC commission has decided to allow him to keep his draw.
