When Gervonta Davis stepped into the ring at the Barclays Center on Saturday he was expected to walk away with his title and reputation intact. The reigning WBA lightweight champion was a 12-to-1 betting favorite against Lamont Roach Jr. and many expected this to be another easy W for Davis. But once the bell rang, Roach demonstrated why he has 10 KO wins to his name. The WBA super featherweight champion went toe-to-toe with his more decorated opponent and at one point had him on his knees- quite literally. However, a contentious call meant Davis stumbled, tumbled, and staggered his way to a majority decision draw, which put a dent in his perfect boxing record. While he retained the title in New York, Roach Jr. had proven that the “Tank” could be overturned.

The boxing world heavily criticized the outcome, believing the referee Steve Willis should’ve called a knockdown when Davis took a knee in the ninth round. This would’ve awarded the round 10-8 in favor of Roach Jr. and he would’ve subsequently won the fight. Terrance Crawford called it a “robbery” and others alleged the bias when it comes to Davis. Now, as the possibility of a rematch looms, Jaron Ennis’ father, Bozy Ennis talked about why the referee may have been swayed in giving Davis some leeway during the fight.

It was a single decision by referee Steve Willis that stopped Roach Jr. from becoming the first man to hand Davis a defeat. In the ninth round, Roach fired off a nasty combination. One of these stray shots landed on Davis. Moments later, the 30-year-old dropped to his knees, but immediately after, he got up, ran to his corner, and poked his head out of the ropes. Calvin Ford, his trainer, quickly wiped his face, and Davis came back to the ring. Willis did start the count but stopped in the middle and let Davis off with a warning. According to Bozy Ennis, Davis holds too much of an influence to have such a decision go against him. 

“I see that he started counting then he stopped. You know what I mean, but you got to understand you know, Tank got a lot of power,” Ennis told YSM Sports Media on Tuesday. He showed you right there he got power. When asked whether the WBA sees Davis as a “cash cow,” Ennis replied, “That’s what I’m saying, he puts a***s in the seats.”

Davis has a drawing power that has seen him become quite popular in recent years. Last year, his June 15 win over Frank Martin had between 325,000 and 350,000 domestic PPV buys in the USA, meaning it grossed around $26 million. It also earned a reported gate of close to $14 million. Davis was headlining his seventh consecutive pay-per-view event since his first in 2020 against Martin. Before this, his fight against Ryan Garcia highlighted his massive crowd-pulling ability.

His April 2023 fight against Garcia generated about 1.2 million pay-per-view buys in the United States, more than $100 million in domestic PPV revenue, and a gate at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas of $22.8 million- the fifth-biggest in Nevada history. The fight between Davis and Roach Jr. drew an official attendance was 19,250 which broke the record for an event at the Barclays Center. The event had the second-highest gate ever at the venue.

So yes, Davis can put butts in the seats as Ennis mentioned, but does that mean he gets away with bypassing rules?

When asked whether Davis getting his face wiped in the middle of a fight should have been a disqualification, Bozy said, 

“That’s what they say. That’s what they say. That’s what I heard.”

Jeff Mayweather, Floyd Mayweather’s uncle believed that Davis should have been given a knockdown for taking the knee.

If you go by the rules of boxing, it was a knockdown. That’s what they’re doing. They’re boxing so yeah, supposed to count it as a knockdown,” he said on Tuesday on the Mayweather Channel.

The New York State Athletic Commission has launched a review of the incident. The commission said a

“technical issue” prevented the use of a replay within the “usual allotted time for review” which led to the incorrect ruling. However, they made no mention that the result could be overturned. Instead, they said that they are “dedicated to preserving the integrity” to ensure “technical issues do not occur in the future”.

Meanwhile, Roach Jr.’s camp has sent a letter to NYSAC executive director Matt Delaglio, asking for the decision to be turned in his favor.

However, it is unlikely that it will happen, making the scenario of a rematch a strong possibility, especially after Davis himself called for it. Going by Bozy Ennis’s words, Roach Jr. might have to overcome more than just the fighting odds against him when they square off again.

While Bozy clearly feels it should have been a knockdown, his son has a slightly different outlook on the fight.

Jaron Ennis claims Gervonta Davis won the Lamont Roach Jr. fight

IBF welterweight champion Jaron Ennis has come to Gervonta Davis’ defense amid controversy surrounding his fight against Lamont Roach Jr. Many, including Terence Crawford, believe Roach deserved the win, especially after Davis took a knee in the ninth round—an action Crawford criticized, saying, “I never seen someone take a knee, and they don’t count it as a knockdown.”

However, Ennis disagrees with the backlash. “It was a great fight. I had it 7-5 Tank or you can make it a draw,” he told YSM Sports Media. He also believes people are unfairly discrediting Davis. “I feel like people just don’t like Tank… Just because he ain’t knock him out, they feel like he probably lost.”

That being said, it appears Jarron Ennis and Bozy Ennis have contrasting opinions of the Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach fight. It goes without saying that the incident clearly showed Davis’ sway in the boxing community, but the question is, do you agree with it?