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Shock Decision in Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach Clash

Shock Decision in Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach Clash

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Shock Decision in Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach Clash

Photo credit: Esther Lin/Premier Boxing Champions

Shock Decision in Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach Clash

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Gervonta Davis (30-0-1, 28 KOs) and Lamont Roach (25-1-2, 10 KOs) ended in a way few had predicted.

While one judge the fight 115-113 for Davis, the other two saw it 114-114, resulting in a majority draw. With the result, Davis remains the WBA lightweight world champion. This was his second defence of the title after being promoted to full titlist.

The fight headlined a Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) card at the Barclays Center in New York City. Fight fans around the world were able to catch the action as a pay-per-view (PPV) on either Prime Video or PPV.com.

Shock Decision in Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach Clash

Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach Fight Recap

The opening round was a quiet one as neither fighter was willing to commit much offensively. This continued into the following rounds. While Roach would slowly press forward, Davis was content with moving off of his back foot. The reigning super featherweight champion was unable to throw many punches on account of “Tank’s” movement around the ring. However, Davis was also not throwing much in the first half of the contest, resulting in fairly close rounds.

The fifth round saw both fighters mouth off at each other. It also marked a turning point in the fight where both men started to increase their output. Round seven saw Roach have greater success in landing his punches and this was something that continued to the final bell. His bodywork in particular stood out. In the eighth, a counter right from Roach very briefly rocked Davis, but the Baltimore native took the punch and continued exchanging.


There was a bizarre moment in round nine where Davis took a knee and went to his corner to have his face wiped. This was not ruled a knockdown and the fight was allowed to continue after a brief pause. However, a jab had been landed before Davis took a knee.

While Davis had success landing his powerful left hand, it was Roach who landed more in the second half of the contest. The lightweight champion’s footwork and left hand was still giving Roach some issues, but “The Reaper” was starting to figure out his opponent and ended the fight strong. Despite their best efforts, two of the judges had the fight a draw, a decision neither agreed with.

Post-fight Interview

Gervonta Davis

“I think I pulled it off with the last three rounds,” said Davis. “For sure I did. I pulled it off in the last three rounds. I was catching him with clean shots. I feel like I was breaking him down as the rounds gone on, but he kept coming so I didn’t want to make no mistakes so I kept cautious.”

“Nah [I wasn’t surprised at how competitive it was]. To be honest, I really made it competitive, for real, to be honest. But, for sure, Lamont [Roach] is a great fighter. He got the skills like I said before. He got punching power. It was a lesson. Shout out to Lamont Roach and his whole team, man. Hopefully we can run it back, for sure. Bring it back to New York. Let’s do it again. Let’s have a rematch back in New York. Let’s do it again, baby.”

Davis also claimed in this interview that product in his hair fell into his eye and made him take knee in round nine.

Lamont Roach

“This everyday for me,” said Roach after the fight.

“I ain’t gonna lie. I’m built like this. I’ve been cut like this. I’ve been one of them ones. You know, I came out here to show. I’m just a little disappointed in the decision. I thought I pulled it out…Gervonta [Davis] is a great fighter. I thank him for the opportunity 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 of that shit. That shit I flipped upside down. Even though I didn’t win tonight, I thought I did, but it’s a win for me in my book. But, we not satisfied with that. We need a real W.”

Gary Antuanne Russell Outclasses José Valenzuela

Gary Antuanne Russell (18-1, 17 KOs) proved to be too much for José Valenzuela (14-3, 9 KOs).

Scores for their clash were 120-108 and 119-109 (x2). With the victory, Russell is now the WBA super lightweight world champion. Valenzuela entered the fight as the reigning champion and was making his first defence since defeating Isaac Cruz.

Early on, Russell established himself as the busier fighter and fought at a pace that caused issues for his opponent. While Valenzuela did everything he could to get an upper hand, he was always second best. The reigning world champion simply had nothing for Russell, who outworked him all fight.

There were times throughout the bout where the referee, Valenzuela’s corner and ringside physicians could have ended proceedings, but it never happened. In round nine, Russell nearly did stop his opponent, landing several hard shots and pushing him back. However, Valenzuela was able to remain on his feet and make it out the round.

Russell continued to put a beating on Valenzuela till the final bell. His speed and work rate were simply too much. It was no surprise when the judges had him winning wide on the scorecards in the end.


Check out our recap for the remainder of the undercard which included a split decision in a WBC super lightweight world title clash between Alberto Puello and Sandor Martín.

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Currently writing out of Toronto, Canada, Saadeq first became a boxing fan while living in Doha, Qatar. Looking to become more involved in the sport, he began writing about boxing and has had work published in outlets such as Seconds Out and Boxing Social. He looks forward to continue covering boxing on Big Fight Weekend.

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