'Tank' Davis retains title after Roach fight ends in draw

Boxing star Gervonta "Tank" Davis retained the WBA lightweight title Saturday night after fighting Lamont Roach Jr. to a majority draw (115-113, 114-114, 114-114) at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The result is the first blemish on Davis' professional boxing record, which now stands at 30-0-1 with 28 knockouts.

Roach, the WBA junior lightweight champion, moved up in weight to challenge for a second title. Davis was around a -1800 betting favorite to win, but Roach pushed him to the limit in one of the most shocking and impressive performances in recent memory.

Davis said postfight he believed he should have edged out the victory on the judges' scorecards, though he also referred to the competitive fight as a "lesson."

"I think I pulled it off in the last three rounds," Davis said. "I was catching him with some clean shots. I feel like I was breaking him down as the rounds were going on, but he kept coming. I didn't want to make no mistakes, so I kept it cautious."

Roach also thought he deserved the nod.

"I'm just a little disappointed in the decision," Roach said. "I thought I pulled it out. But that's what two skilled fighters get in there and do: get in there and show off their craft. I definitely thought I won."

Roach outlanded Davis 112-103 in total punches, while Davis had a 93-87 edge in power shots. Roach was more effective with his jab, topping Davis by a 25-10 margin.

The majority draw will be surrounded by controversy because of an incident that occurred in the ninth round. Davis briefly took a knee - usually an automatic knockdown - and then walked over to his corner and had his trainer wipe his face with a cloth. Referee Steve Willis began a count but didn't appear to finish it. The referee warned Davis about taking a knee but didn't rule it a knockdown, then restarted the fight. Two of three judges ended up scoring the round a 10-9 for Davis.

Davis explained afterward that grease dripped from his hair into his eyes.

"I just got my hair done two days ago, and she put grease in my shit," Davis said. "The shit was, you know when you're sweating and things like that, and the grease came in my face. It burnt my eyes."

Roach said he believes it should've been a knockdown.

"If you voluntarily take a knee and the ref starts counting, it should be a knockdown," Davis said. "If that's a knockdown, I win the fight."

Davis and Roach both expressed interest in a rematch.

"Hopefully we can run it back, for sure," Davis said. "Bring it back to New York. Let's do it again. Let's have a rematch back in New York."

After a feeling-out process in the first four or five rounds, the fight heated up in a big way in the second half. Davis upped his offense in the sixth and began to tee off on Roach. But Roach didn't back down and was even the aggressor at times throughout the rest of the bout.

They stood in the pocket and exchanged heavy punches. Roach got Davis' attention with a big right hand in the eighth round and had success with combinations in the last three rounds.

"I'm thankful for the opportunity to get to show the world, to all the people that was doubting me, all the people that was talking shit, all the fake boxing media, all that shit. That shit got flipped upside down," Roach said. "Even though I didn't win tonight, I thought I did. It's a win for me in my book, but we're not satisfied with that. We need a real W."

Davis, 30, retained the WBA lightweight title for the second time since being elevated to full 135-pound champion in 2023. He was coming off a knockout of Frank Martin last June. This was the first time Davis went the distance since a unanimous decision win over Isaac Cruz in December 2021.

Roach, 29, falls to a career 25-1-2. He had won six in a row coming in. Roach has held the 130-pound title since November 2023.

"I'm him," Roach said of the statement he made against Davis. "I'm one of the best fighters in the world, and it showed tonight."