

When you mention Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, one thing stands out—raw, bone-crushing power. Despite his shorter frame, ‘Tank’ has a reputation for sending opponents into the shadow realm with 28 KO wins on his 30-0-1 record. But something unusual unfolded during his latest title defense against Lamont Roach Jr. on March 1st. Not only did Davis struggle against the challenger, but he even dropped to his knees at one point. Usually, when a boxer drops to their knee, it’s considered a knockdown, but Roach Jr. wasn’t awarded a knockdown. After the fight ended in a draw, Davis blamed his hair products for the ‘literal slip-up’—but Joe Rogan isn’t buying it.
In JRE episode #2286, with former professional football player Antonio Brown, Joe Rogan pointed to Davis blaming his hair product for his draw against Lamont Roach Jr., which the podcaster found to be rather absurd. Rogan said that as a champion, Davis should prioritize winning—even if it means shaving his head, “Tank did have some in his eyes, but what are you doing putting in your hair when you have a world title fight? That’s crazy,” said Rogan.
Reacting to the podcaster’s words, Brown chimed in, to state that a champion must stay focused and deliver under pressure without excuses. Externalities cannot be used as excuses to justify falling short in high-stakes moments. Rogan highlighted that Davis should have just shaved his head for his fights, “Also, what are they putting in his hair that, when he’s sweating, is dripping into his eyes?”
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via Getty
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 01: Gervonta Davis takes a knee in the middle of round nine due to the grease in his braids dripped into his eyes against Lamont Roach Jr. during their bout for Davis’ WBA lightweight title at Barclays Center on March 01, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
He further added, “Like, what is that? Yeah, bro, shave your head, right? Yeah, shave your head—who cares? Pretty boy, you’re about to go get this fight. Get those braids out of there—you don’t need those. Yeah, he’s a good-looking guy; he doesn’t need all that crazy braids.” The match ended in a draw; however, Roach Jr. appealed to the NYAC to review the decision again, arguing that Davis’ dropping to his knee should have been counted as a knockdown.
After a close inspection, the commission said Roach’s protest was denied on the ground that, “The bout continued for more than three full rounds after the referee’s no knockdown call, and because the boxers necessarily adjusted to the referee’s ruling, the referee’s call was not outcome-determinative.” Roach gained nothing from his bout—except for not losing. On the other hand, Davis was removed from his #8 spot in the P4P rankings after the draw—a match considered his career worst. Joe Rogan wants to see a rematch between the two, but is it possible? Let’s find out.
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Is a rematch possible between Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach Jr?
After the controversial decision, Lamont Roach Jr. called out his opponent, Gervonta Davis for a rematch. In his statement to the media, Roach was completely shocked when he found that the points for the knockdown were not awarded to him, “It should have been a knockdown. If that was a knockdown, I win the fight. He’s saying grease got in his eye, but if he takes a knee and the ref starts counting, it should be a knockdown.”
Even multi-division champion, Terrance Crawford was shocked to witness this, “I’ve never seen someone take a knee and they don’t count it as a knockdown.” And as the world of boxing stood divided in the debate, Davis came forward to reflect on his shortcomings, “He got the skills and the punching power. It was a lesson learned. Shout out to Lamont Roach and his whole team. Hopefully, we can run it back in New York.”
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What’s your perspective on:
Did Gervonta Davis's hair products cost him the fight, or is it just a lame excuse?
Have an interesting take?
Gervonta Davis is open to granting a rematch to his challenger but there have been no developments so far. Roach Jr., on the other hand, has warned ‘Tank’ of repercussions, “I showed that I was a pound-for-pound talent against a generational star in the sport. I was born a star but on March 1st a star was finally under the microscope of the world! I can’t wait to run it back and put on a show again! Part two OTW”, wrote Roach on his Instagram handle.
What are your thoughts? Should Lamont Roach Jr. have been awarded points for Davis taking a knee? What do you think of the hair-spray situation that led to ‘Tank’ allegedly slipping? Should he focus on winning rather than looking good? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.
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Debate
Did Gervonta Davis's hair products cost him the fight, or is it just a lame excuse?