It started as a battle of honor, until some hair grease and a knee took it toward a detour nobody anticipated! On March 1, Gervonta “Tank” Davis took to the Barclays Center to defend his WBA lightweight title against Lamont Roach Jr. in a battle that many guessed would be Tank’s day. Well, it was indeed his day in the end, but what instead turned heads was the alleged favoritism that “robbed” Roach of glory. The collateral damage? Shields being outperformed by Shakur Stevenson in the battle of forecasts, and Davis having to bear the brunt of an “undeserved win”. But before we get to that…

It’s worth mentioning that Roach started beating Davis at his own game from the very beginning. Tank, who’s usually laid back in the first few rounds—in a bid to assess in opponents—was met with any equally reluctant Roach refusing to connect. With no more than eight punches in the first few rounds, Tank finally connected 11 times in the sixth stanza.

But it’s not like Roach didn’t hit back. In a demeanor that seemed subtly calculative almost throughout—except for the fifth and sixth round where Davis’ trash-talking got into his head—the 29-year-old answered with several heavy blows that set Davis on his back foot. However, the real sucker (pun intended) came in during the ninth round. With 2:17 seconds remaining, and after Roach on the offensive with three consecutive attacks, Davis suddenly turned to his right, took a knee in a bizarre turn of events, and retreated to his corner where somebody quickly came and wiped his face with a towel.

The coach, who was as stunned as the commentators, and the audience members, immediately asked, “What’s going on, man?” The real problem? Taking a knee is immediately counted as a knockdown, but in Davis’ case, the referee clearly didn’t think so. The ultimate result? A majority draw (115-113, 114-114, 114-114), Tank’s winning record smeared with a 30-1-0, and a fuming community. Interestingly, this was also the exact opposite of what Claressa Shields had even imagined in her wildest dreams…

After the first round had concluded, the 2012 London Olympics gold medalist had taken to X to make a veiled prediction. “Nice Rd 1 both bulls sharp. 🔪 I like Lamont’s calmness! But Lord, I’m scared for him. Lol. Tank the boogeyman 🥴,” she had written.

While Shields’ concerns are understandable given that Roach Jr. was facing a KO artist (with 28 knockouts in his 31 fight career). However, not easily swayed by emotions, Shakur Stevenson stayed true to his analytical boxing mindset. The Newark southpaw predicted the fight would be a ’50/50′ affair. When asked about the main event, Stevenson initially leaned toward Davis but quickly hedged his response. “Uh, I’m 50/50; I don’t know… I can’t make a prediction, but 50/50,” the lightweight champion had said.

And, by the end of the fight, Stevenson had proven his point. In a career first, Gervonta Davis—though still the champion—had to settle for a majority draw with Lamont Roach Jr. The Washington, D.C., native became just the third fighter to take Davis the full distance.

Taking to Twitter, Shakur Stevenson posted, “My ticket hit tonight for the people that don’t know shit ’bout boxing, and the fight went exactly how I thought it was gonna go!” The message invariably drew a string of compliments. One user said, “You called it champ. You the A side now.” Well, at least someone’s happy, because we can’t say the same for Roach at all…

After the fight, as expected, the WBA Super featherweight title holder, complained, “[This is] every day for me. It’s like this. I’ve been cut like this…I’m a little disappointed. I thought I pulled it out. I definitely thought I won. We can run it back…I’m one of the best fighters in the world. I showed that tonight … If that’s a knockdown, I win the fight.” Davis, on the other hand, seemed to have a reason for his controversial moves, as he later explained:

“I just got my hair done two days ago,” Davis said to a 19,000+ booing crowd, “She put grease in my s— so the s— was, like, you know when you’re sweating and the grease comes down in your face? It burned my eyes. This is real facts. Look at my hair, I just got my s— done. But it’s all cool, man. They love you then they hate you. Turn around and they’ll love you again.”

Having said that, German Meraz and Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz took pride in being the only fighters bold enough to take Gervonta Davis the full distance. However, both ultimately lost by unanimous decision.

Gervonta Davis: An imperfection on his spotless record

Now, Lamont Roach Jr. holds a unique distinction. He is the first fighter to take Davis the full distance without suffering a loss. The same, however, cannot be said for the Baltimorean, as the draw leaves a dent in his previously flawless record. While one judge scored the fight 115-113 in favor of Davis, the other two saw it differently, settling for a 114-114 draw, resulting in a majority draw verdict.

However, the fight statistics tell a different story. Roach Jr. out landed Davis with 112 successful punches to Davis’ 103, proving to be the busier fighter throughout the bout. This wasn’t lost on the Washington, D.C. native, especially after the controversial moment in the ninth round, when Davis took a voluntary knee. Reflecting on the fight, ‘The Reaper’ confidently stated in his post-fight interview, “If that was ruled a knockdown, I win the fight.”

What about you? Did the Davis-Roach fight go the way you expected?