Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach battled to a majority draw on Saturday at the Barclays Center, but many believe the result should have been different—and it may not be too late for things to change.
Davis took a knee in the ninth round in a move that should have cost him his WBA lightweight title, but the lack of action from referee Steve Willis allowed Davis to escape with his title.
However, the New York State Athletic Commission is reviewing the matter, and the result could be overturned.
According to a statement from the NYSAC, a “technical issue” prevented replay from being used during the ninth round when Davis clearly took a knee after taking a punch to the face, which should have resulted in a knockdown.
“During the round in question, following the commission’s request for the replay video, there was a technical issue preventing the commission from receiving it within the allotted time for review,” a commission spokeswoman stated in a statement to ESPN.
“Therefore, the referee’s in-ring decision was relied upon, and the fight continued. The commission is dedicated to preserving the integrity of combative sports and is committed to working with all promotions and production teams—on behalf of the athletes, officials, and fans—to ensure technical issues do not occur in the future that prevent the delivery of ringside instant replay feeds to the commission’s officials when needed.”
If the officials reviewing the situation deem a reversal of the decision is in order, we could see the draw overruled. It is unlikely the fight would be changed to a no-contest and even less likely that Roach would be awarded the victory.
