A tentative timeline for the Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach Jr. rematch has emerged. Putting all the controversy on the back burner, perhaps it’s time to move on. Let the rematch decide who is better – Davis or Roach Jr. – something the first edition failed to do. With the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) upholding the majority draw decision, that seems to be the only recourse to set the record straight.

But the episode once again brought to the fore an ugly truth. Something that has plagued, or is rumored to plague, boxing for years. Decisions bending under the weight of star power, willingly or not. In this particular case, Gervonta Davis escaped from a career-first loss. If not for referee Steve Willis’ inconsistency with the knockdown ruling, Roach Jr. would have had a clear victory in sight. Former four-division world champion Nonito Donaire dwelled on the issue. His viewpoints further expose the fault lines that boxing is frequently accused of.

FightHype’s Aaron Cantu caught up with Donaire in Toronto, Canada. It’s been some time since ‘The Filipino Flash’ left the gloves for the mic. A regular on Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) events, he was in attendance for the lightweight fight between Lucas Bahdi and Ryan James Racaza. The reporter asked, “I wanted to get your take on what happened this last weekend between Tank Davis and Lamont Roach and in the ninth round that controversial no-knockdown call.” Contrary to what many felt, Nonito Donaire thought the decision to declare the fight a draw was right. Half the fight didn’t have much action. Hence, he didn’t strongly disagree with the result either.

Talking about the ninth-round incident, Nonito Donaire felt that Gervonta Davis clearly got hit in the eye. He took two steps and then dropped to the canvas. So it should have been ruled a knockdown. But instead of acknowledging it, an unclear excuse emerged, thus raising further questions.

So if they go back, Donaire suggested, and properly analyze the fight, they will see that it was a knockdown. The initial explanation (technical difficulties) shouldn’t have been used to dismiss it. But what about botched-up refereeing? “What do you make of the ref starting the count and then basically stopping to just check in on Tank? Was that like some A-side preferential treatment there or…” the FightHype reporter continued.

Nonito Donaire breaks it down

“You know what? There’s always politics in every sports, in everything, in life,” Nonito Donaire acknowledged. Favoritism or external factors can sometimes influence decisions. Instead of enforcing the rules properly, the referee let Gervonta Davis control the ring. According to the 42-year-old, the referee had the authority to stop the fight if needed. Instead, he made a questionable decision.

“He(Willis) let Tank take over his ring, because the ring is yours to call; you have the right to stop the fight at any moment in time, you know, and for him to decide—I mean, I guess it was a very, very tough decision, but you know, there’s a lot of things, and sometimes the thinking can lapse, you know, and maybe that’s what happened,” Donaire reflected.

Perhaps the thought will linger for some time. Any similar recurrence would only reinforce the notion that, at times, privileges can dictate the rules rather than being exceptions in boxing.

Do you agree with Nonito Donaire’s views? Are the rules different for different fighters in boxing?