Roach vs. Davis: Team Roach Moves to Overturn Ninth-Round Controversy

At the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, on March 1, Gervonta Davis (30-0-1, 28 KOs) defended his WBA lightweight title against Lamont Roach (25-1-2, 10 KOs) in the main event of a Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) card which was available through Prime Video and PPV.com. Roach vs Davis ultimately ended in a controversial majority draw with scorecards of 115-113 for Davis and 114-114 x2.

The ninth round stole all the headlines, with Davis taking a voluntary knee following three unanswered punches from Roach before retreating to his corner to have his face wiped, which he later claimed was due to excessive hair grease. Dan Rafael has now revealed via his Fight Freaks Unite Substack that Team Roach has contacted the New York State Athletic Commission to have the result overturned.

Roach vs Davis: Team Roach Challenges Controversial Ninth-Round Decision

Team Roach Seeks to Overturn Controversial Draw

Rafael reveals via his Substack that Lamont Roach’s attorney, Greg Smith has sent a letter to New York State Athletic Commission executive director Matt Delaglio requesting they review the controversial Roach vs Davis draw.

The four-page letter obtained by Fight Freaks Unite can be viewed here which appeals to the commission to overturn the draw and declare Roach as “the true winner of the bout — either via TKO due to Mr. Davis removing himself from the Bout or being disqualified for carrying an illegal irritant into the ring, or via decision after scores have been adjusted to reflect the knockdown.”

Rafael and others have reported that the commission had said they would review the supposed faulty technology that stopped referee Steve Willis receiving the news he had indeed made a mistake in the allotted time.

Roach vs Davis: What Happened and What Went Wrong

When “Tank” initially took the knee, referee Willis clearly began a count before abandoning it when Davis explained his eyes were burning. No timeouts are permitted in boxing unless the referee allows it, and the initial count made it clear to everyone that the referee was as shocked as everyone.

The fact that Davis turned to his corner to have his face wiped is a clear violation of rules and grounds for disqualification but it appeared Willis was as stunned as the rest of us and inexplicably let the fight continue with no knockdown scored or DQ called.

Had the referee correctly allowed the count, the ninth round would have been called 10-8 in favour of Roach, meaning he would have achieved a huge upset, dethroning Davis by unanimous decision with scores of 115-112, 114-113 and 114-113.