On March 1, 2025, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Lamont Roach Jr. delivered an exciting 12-round lightweight title fight that ended in a majority draw, with scorecards reading 115-113 for Davis and two at 114-114.
The decision sparked immediate controversy, largely centered on a bizarre ninth-round moment when Davis took a knee—an incident many argue should have been ruled a knockdown, potentially swinging the fight in Roach’s favor. While the referee’s non-call is a valid point of contention, a closer look at the fight reveals that Davis deserved the victory, not just a draw. His performance, rooted in precision, adaptability, and championship poise, outshone Roach’s valiant but less decisive effort relying mostly on punch output.
First, let’s address the elephant in the ring: the ninth-round incident. Davis dropped to a knee, claiming grease from his hair had irritated his eye, and walked to his corner for a towel wipe-down. Referee Steve Willis didn’t count it as a knockdown, a decision that baffled observers like Terence Crawford who questioned the ref’s decision not to give the standard 8-count, and fueled cries of robbery.
By the unified rules of boxing, a fighter touching the canvas with anything other than their feet typically constitutes a knockdown unless clearly caused by a slip or push. Davis’s knee wasn’t preceded by an obvious punch that forced him down, and his immediate complaint about his eye suggests discomfort rather than defeat. Should it have been a knockdown? Perhaps, if strictly by the book. But boxing isn’t always judged by isolated moments—it’s about the totality of the fight. Even if scored as a 10-8 round for Roach, the overall balance of the bout still tilts toward Davis and the two judges who cared the fight 114-114 may have been swayed by this moment.
Davis’s hallmark is his patience, a trait that often sees him start slow before methodically dismantling opponents. Against Roach, he followed this blueprint. The early rounds were cautious, with Roach landing jabs and staying disciplined, but Davis’s probing jab and subtle footwork controlled the ring’s center.
By Round 3, he began turning up the heat, landing cleaner, harder shots—a left hand here, a sneaky uppercut there. CompuBox stats, while not definitive, support this: Davis edged out Roach in power punches landed, a testament to his efficiency. Roach threw more total punches, but volume doesn’t equal effectiveness. Davis’s shots carried greater impact, visibly rocking Roach in the sixth and tenth rounds, whereas Roach’s counters, though sharp, rarely disrupted Davis’s rhythm.
Roach deserves immense credit. He executed a smart game plan, avoiding Tank’s knockout traps and landing combinations that kept the fight competitive. His counter right in the seventh and uppercut in the eighth momentarily staggered Davis, proving his mettle against a -2000 favorite. But “competitive” isn’t the same as “dominant.” Davis adapted as the fight progressed, cutting off the ring and forcing Roach into exchanges where Tank’s precision shone. In the championship rounds, Davis pursued the finish, unloading flurries while Roach, though resilient, focused on survival and sporadic counters. The 12th round, in particular, saw Davis dictate the pace, landing a crisp left to the body that underscored his late-fight aggression.
The scorecards—115-113 and two 114-114s—reflect a close fight, but the edge belongs to Davis for his ring generalship. Boxing scoring prioritizes effective aggression, defense, and clean punching, not just activity. If anything it was Roach who got the gift on the cards, most of his punches didn’t land. Davis’s ability to dictate terms, even against a game Roach, showed why he’s a champion. Roach fought brilliantly as an underdog, but he didn’t outclass Davis; he matched him. In a title fight, the challenger must do more than hold their own—they need to take the belt. Roach didn’t.
The ninth-round controversy will linger, and a rematch seems inevitable. Roach’s stock has soared, and he’s earned another shot. But stripping away the noise, Davis’s performance—marked by composure, power, and tactical adjustments—merited the win. The draw feels like a compromise, not justice. Tank remains the king of the lightweight division, and Saturday night, he proved it, even if the judges couldn’t fully see it.
This is the curse of being too good, the fans and judges expect too much from you and Roach was an underdog and disregarded by most fight fans heading into the fight. So when Roach holds his own it was almost a impressive feat in itself, and this is why people felt he won, he overachieved and that impressed the judges and the fans. Tank Davis has been dominating everyone so when someone is able to hang with him and give him some trouble, like with Pitbull Cruz and Tank gets the decision they automatically say he was given a gift or the opponent was robbed.
Let Davis and Roach rematch happen and I’m positive the outcome will be a lot different, we might even see a lopsided dominant performance or a knockout in Tank’s favor.
