Did Gervonta Davis Receive Special Treatment? Referee’s Decision To Stop Count After Knee Draws Scrutiny

Lamont Roach’s manager, Robert Diaz, was furious about the referee’s decision to stop the count after WBA lightweight champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis took a knee in the ninth round after getting hit with a jab to the head at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Disqualification Demand

Diaz says that Gervonta’s decision to take a knee, turn his back, and walk to his corner immediately after should have been ruled a knockdown and disqualification. In both instances, the referee, Steve Willis, let it go without stopping the fight or giving the challenger Roach (25-1-2, 10 KOs) credit for a knockdown. Those two blown calls by the referee impacted the fight’s results, which was scored as a 12-round majority draw. The scores were 115-113 for Tank, 114-114 and 114-114. Practically the whole world saw Roach winning handily.

Tank Davis claimed he took a knee because he had grease in his eyes. That’s a poor excuse because fighters often get grease in their eyes during fights, and they don’t take a knee and then walk to their corner to have it wiped off. Why was Davis allowed to do this by the referee?

Diaz states that he immediately attempted to speak to the New York State Athletic Commission personnel on site, asking them what they were “calling it.” However, the referee’s call was allowed to stand with no knockdown or disqualification being called.

Special Treatment?

What makes this look worse is that Tank is a superstar, and gives the appearance to fans that he was given special treatment that a less popular fighter wouldn’t if they’d taken a knee and walked away after getting to their feet. That’s a knockdown and a disqualification under normal circumstances.

“I got really upset when I saw the count started and then it stopped. I ran over to the [New York State Athletic] Commission and I said, ‘What are we calling it? I just want to know what you’re calling it. Everyone saw that it was a knockdown. You don’t want to give him a knockdown? You turn your back, that’s a disqualification.’ There are two disqualifications and a knockdown. If he gets the knockdown, he gets the win,” said Roach’s manager, Robert Diaz to Boxing News about the ninth round knockdown of Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis that the referee, Steve Willis, failed to call last Saturday night.

“When he started counting, how do you stop your count? I’m going to give it to Monday, make the call and talk to people and say, ‘What happened here?’ I don’t see them reversing the decision, but I do see them saying, ‘Okay, let’s do a rematch,’” said Diaz.