Gervonta Davis took a knee tonight, but referee Steve Willis did not rule it a knockdown in an incredibly controversial decision.
Gervonta “Tank” Davis took a knee in the ninth round of tonight’s fight with Lamont Roach, right after a punch from Roach landed, but referee Steve Willis failed to rule the decision a knockdown.
Davis took the knee very clearly, then went to his corner to have his face wiped with a towel. Willis, a veteran referee with years of world title experience, then asked Davis what happened, and told him that when he takes a knee like that, it looks like a knockdown.
But Willis bizarrely did not rule a knockdown in one of the most ridiculous non-calls you’ll ever see, even in a sport as strange (and worse) as boxing can be, where stars are catered to quite openly.
Gervonta Davis takes a knee in the 9th round and isn’t counted as a knockdown
Do thin that should count as a knockdown
— Combat Casuals (@Combat_Casuals) March 2, 2025
Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis seemingly takes a knee in the ninth round vs Lamont Roach. pic.twitter.com/P8qyvL7VNI
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) March 2, 2025
In short, there’s really no excuse for Willis to not have called it a knockdown, other than Tank Davis is the A-side money man of this event.
A referee simply can’t just decide to ignore this, as if the 30-year-old man with 12 years of professional experience doesn’t understand the rules of the game.
Read the full article here
