Gervonta Davis, a professional boxer, managed to retain his WBA lightweight title despite intentionally dropping to his knee on the canvas and receiving assistance to clean a hair product from his face during the match.
His opponent, Lamont Roach, argued that the knee position should have been recognized as a “knockdown”.
Had it been considered a knockdown, Davis would have lost a point, and Roach would have won the bout held in New York, marking Davis’s first career defeat.
However, the fight was declared a majority draw, meaning Davis, known as “Tank,” was able to keep his title.
One judge scored the contest in favor of Davis at 115-113, while the other two judges scored it as 114-114.
In the ninth round, Davis voluntarily dropped to a knee near his corner and leaned over the ropes to allow his team to wipe the area around his eye.
He explained that grease from his recently styled hair had gotten into his eye before the bout.
The referee, Steve Willis, did not count this as a knockdown because typically, for a knockdown to be counted, it should occur when a knee hits the canvas.
Roach commented, “It should have been counted as a knockdown. If that was a knockdown, I would have won the fight.
“He’s saying grease got in his eye, but if he takes a knee and the ref starts counting, it should be considered a knockdown.”
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Other boxers were also surprised by the outcome.
Multi-division champion Terence Crawford commented, “I’ve never seen someone take a knee without it being counted as a knockdown.”
After the match, Roach called for a rematch.
“For sure, Lamont is a great fighter,” Davis acknowledged.
“He has the skills and the punching power. It was a lesson learned. Shout out to Lamont Roach and his whole team. Hopefully, we can run it back in New York.”