Gervonta Davis won’t be forgetting March 1st anytime soon. He walked into Barclays Center thinking he had Lamont Roach Jr. figured out—after all, he’d already beaten him twice in the amateurs. But The Reaper wasn’t there to play games or allow history to repeat itself. He gave Tank a fight that nearly cost him his WBA Lightweight title and his undefeated record. Call it his luck or referee Steve Willis’ blunder, but at the end of the day, despite the appeal to overturn the controversial draw, the NYSAC stuck to their guns—the fight stays a draw. The addendum? The round 9 knee should have been recognized as a knockdown by the referee.

Now, while Gervonta Davis has remained quiet after the ruling, Roach? Oh, he had something to say. He took to X and laid it out straight: “I’m not surprised about the decision by the NYSAC. A lil disappointed, yea. Especially when they ACKNOWLEDGED the fact that Steve made the wrong calls in the 9th round. But I wasn’t banking on the overturn. Everyone know I won the fight and I’m satisfied with that. Part 2 otw.” Yes, the world saw how the 29-year-old dominated the ring. But Roach didn’t get that win. Well, here lies the boxing business. And who would know it better than popular boxing podcaster Steve Kim? The host of the ‘3 Knockdown Rule’ summed it up in one tweet.

“I just couldn’t see the NYSAC ruling in favor of Lamont Roach — even though he had a VERY valid case. The bottom line is, if they did, a venue like the Barclay Center may never have gotten him back for future fights. This is where the ‘#boxing is a business’ line applies..” his X post read. Steve Kim was right there with Team Roach on this one. He saw what everyone else saw—Tank should’ve been penalized. Running to the corner mid-fight to wipe his face? That’s a huge no-no. By the book, that’s either a disqualification or, at the very least, a point deduction. But alas, the draw stands.

Now, even though NYSAC gave its final reports, it didn’t quite tick all the boxes. Roach’s camp isn’t letting this slide, though. His advisor, Roberto Diaz, called out the double standard. “I am very disappointed with the decision by NYSAC. When an athlete is in the wrong they are discipline immediately. However, the men in long pants (referees) are never wrong or disciplined. It’s time for change for the better of our sport,” Diaz told Dan Rafael. He’s got a point there. If a fighter slips up, they get fined, suspended, or worse. But if a referee makes a call that shifts the course of a championship fight? Nothing?

After the NYSAC’s recent ruling, three questions still remain unanswered. What would have happened had the referee called the knockdown? Will the referee be punished now? Will there be a rematch? We’ll let you know when we know. But what about the two combatants? What’s next for them?

What do Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach Jr. want?

A rematch is what both the fighters want. And that’s what everyone wants to see as well. Last week, the Washington native tweeted, “Part 2…” clearly hinting his desire for a rematch. Lamont Roach Jr. is as furious and confident as ever. Frustrated with the NYSAC, he was even spotted betting on a rematch yesterday. After trading verbal jabs with boxer Lorenzo Simpson—who was backing the Baltimore native and claimed that Tank would knock Roach out in their next encounter—Roach fired back, refusing to let the trash talk slide. He retorted quickly: “Yea 250k just like I bet your role model… if you can show it to me we good money lil n***a.”

And Gervonta Davis? Now, he wants to settle the deal as early as possible. Initially, he explained that even though a rematch was what he wanted, it might not happen sooner. But after being criticized, he couldn’t take the heat anymore. So he fired back with an update: “And say no more. I’m pushing for the rematch.” And when exactly does he desire a rematch? Just 3 days after his Brooklyn fight, he revealed on X that, “The rematch can be soon too..like end of May.”

With that said, if Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach Jr. make the rematch official, who do you think will win this time?