Gervonta Davis retained his WBA Lightweight title last night (March 1, 2025) against a game Lamont Roach in Brooklyn, New York, but it wasn’t via the usual dominant fashion that we expect from Tank. If anything, it was controversial.
Once the final scores were tallied, the judges had it a majority draw after 12 rounds of back and forth action with the scores of 115-113 Tank, and then two of 114-114. But where things got really murky was in the ninth round. That’s because Tank took a knee, and was then allowed to go over to his corner to get wiped down. To make matters worse, the referee on duty did not rule it a knockdown, as it should have been.
Check it out:
Many observers, Terence Crawford included, were baffled at the bizarre scene, which should have been counted as Tank’s first-ever knockdown. After the fight, the champ was asked about the situation and admitted to taking a knee due to getting some sort of substance from his hair in his eye, to which the crowd booed.
Check out the official scores:
Still, the big story is that it’s simply a shame that such a big fight with huge stakes was decided on a horrible mistake that was easy to avoid by the referee. It’s mind-boggling that a knockdown wasn’t counted because that completely turns the tides and gives Roach the win. Nevertheless, Tank was open to giving Roach a rematch, which the challenger was quick to accept.
That said, Roach will likely have trouble sleeping over the next few days because he should be the one going home with the belt and the assurance of an increased bank account. But now that he has spent 12 valuable rounds inside the ring with Davis, he can come in more amped and prepped for the rematch.
For complete ‘Tank vs. Roach’ results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.
