A controversial non-knockdown call proved to be the difference in Saturday night's clash between WBA lightweight champion Gervonta "Tank" Davis and Lamont Roach Jr. In the end, Roach -- a heavy underdog -- managed to will his way to a majority draw and an unsatisfying moral victory.
Davis was passive for much of the fight, with Roach outlanding him over the course of 12 rounds, though Davis had a slight edge in power punches landed.
The pivotal point of the fight came in Round 9, with Roach connecting with a jab and Davis moving forward before taking a knee and walking to his corner where his team wiped him down. Despite the knee coming after a punch landed, the referee decided to not call a knockdown.
Davis was passive for much of the fight, as has been a trend throughout his career. Where Davis is usually able to acquire data from his opponent before landing punishing fights and finishing the bout, Roach was able to keep pace, outlanding Davis in total punches throughout the fight.
When both fighters were willing to trade blows, Roach gave as good as he got, mostly landing the more telling power punches in every exchange.
Unfortunately, the strange decision to allow Davis to take a punch before taking a knee and having his corner wipe him down was the deciding factor in the fight.
Davis claimed his decision to take a knee was a result of grease getting in his eye. Taking a knee after absorbing a punch is, by every rule in boxing, a knockdown. Despite this, Davis was upset when much of the crowd booed the decision.
"The shit was like when you're sweating and shit like that," Davis said as the crowd booed after the fight. "Why are you booing like I'm saying bullshit? This is real shit."
Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis seemingly takes a knee in the ninth round vs Lamont Roach. pic.twitter.com/P8qyvL7VNI
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) March 2, 2025
After 12 rounds, the final scorecards read 115-113 for Davis and two even cards at 114-114. CBS Sports scored the fight 116-113 for Roach. Had the clear knockdown been called, Roach would be the new WBA champion. Instead, the fight ended in an unsatisfying draw.
Roach, the WBA junior lightweight champion, understood the situation and how the non-knockdown call robbed him of winning a world title in a second weight class.
"[This is] every day for me," Roach said. "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."
Davis did not seem opposed to a rematch at the conclusion of the fight.
"To be honest, I really made it competitive," Davis said. "For sure, Lamont is a great fighter. He has the skills, to be sure. He has the punching power. Hopefully, we can run it back. Let's have a rematch in New York. ... Hopefully, we can get a rematch."
Roach was clear in his opinion that the referee's decision to not call a knockdown was the lone factor that held him back from being a two-division world champion.
"What did I tell you? I'm him," Roach said. "I'm one of the best fighters in the world. I showed that tonight ... If that's a knockdown, I win the fight."
Elsewhere on the card, Gary Antuanne Russell put in a masterful performance to claim the WBA junior welterweight title against Jose Valenzuela. The youngest of the Russell brothers picked apart the former titleholder over 12 rounds and nearly scored a shutout across the three scorecards. Plus, the man who Russell suffered his first loss against in his last outing, Alberto Puello, got all he could handle from veteran Sandor Martin. Puello edged out a split decision over Martin to retain his WBC junior welterweight title.
CBS Sports was with you throughout the entire way on Saturday with the live results and highlights below.
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davis (c) | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 113 |
| Roach | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 116 |
What a great showing for Roach, who gave everything he had and managed a draw against the biggest star in the sport.
Roach threw a nice flurry to the body. Roach landed a counter left hook. Roach dug in with two to the body and a hard left hook. Davis landed to the body but Roach landed another good shot. Davis missed an uppercut that could have finished things. Roach with another counter right hand. Davis connected with a right hand and Roach connected with one of his own followed by a left. Davis avoided Roach in the final moments. I can't believe it but I have Roach winning this fight.
Roach continued to fire good right hand counters. Davis landed a left hand but Roach came right back with a few good left hands. Roach dug to the body with a left hand. Roach landed an uppercut and a hook. Roach landed a right hand and then another right and a left hand. Davis whipped a left to the body. Another left hand landed for Roach as Davis was warned for a low blow. Davis connected with a good counter jab. Roach landed tow to the body and then a good flurry upstairs. Both men traded shots with Roach seeming to get the better of it.
Davis flashed a few good punches before Roach landed a jab. Roach landed an uppercut and then a left hook. Roach pushed forward with a flurry, one of the punches getting in. Roach landed to the body with a left hok and then a hard left hand. Roach's right hand landed and then a flurry. Davis connected with a body shot and then an uppercut. Davis connected with two lefts to the body before a Roach jab.
Roach landed a right hand at the start of the round. Davis landed a jab and just missed a left hand behind it. Roach landed a right hand and an uppercut. A good right handed for Roach and Davis took a knee after the shot! The referee decided Davis didn't take a knee and let Davis' corner wipe him down. Davis fired some heavy shots before the two started trading heavy shots. That was a terrible call from the referee on the non-knockdown call. Roach connected with a hard counter right hand. Davis flashed a few good punches but didn't land anything of meaning. A bizarre round but I will shade it to Roach, who deserved a knockdown.
Roach pumped out a few jabs that didn't connect and then one that did. Roach kept throwing jabs but they weren't connecting often. Still, Davis wasn't landing much of his own. Roach landed a jab and Davis responded with a left straight. Davis landed a left but Roach landed a counter right that stumbled Davis backward. Roach landed an uppercut. Roach landed a right hand. Davis barely missed with a left hand.
Roach continued to try to come forward, throwing power shots but not connecting cleanly. A few jabs came from Roach, with one of them connecting. Davis landed a pair of left hands. Roach landed a short hook and then a series of punches before eating a hard left from Davis. Roach then landed a series of good shots, including a hard left hand. In the clinch, Roach landed a few more good shots and Davis seemed to realize it's a more serious contest suddenly. Roach landed a good left hoo counter and another before Davis landed a good shot. Roach landed to the body and then to the head with a hook before the bell.
Roach threw a body shot early and Davis complained to the referee to no avail. Roach landed a few jabs and Davis sat down on some body shots. Roach tried to pressure forward, just missing with a right hand. Davis landed a good counter left hand. Davis dipped down with another body shot. Davis landed to the body again while Roach landed a lead hook counter upstairs. Davis got his offense going more in the round, feeling comfortable to step up his offense. Roach landed to the body inside before the referee broke them up. Davis landed another good straight left. A Roach left hook landed and Davis caught his arms in the ropes.
Roach connected with a right hand early. Roach landed a short right hand to the chest and Davis fired back with a good body shot. Roach landed a right hand and had two punches blocked after. Davis came back with a few good body shots before Roach connected with a right hand and then stuck his tongue out after slipping two punches. Davis landed wo left hands. Roach fired a few body shots after the two exchanged words. Roach landed a late jab. These are not exactly exciting rounds.
Roach threw another double jab and then a hook. Davis scored with a short left hand. Davis continued to move around, trying to bait Roach in. Davis got in with a glancing left hand. Davis ducked under a left hook from Roach. Roach did connect with a short uppercut. Roach connected with a right hand as they broke the clinch and Davis was upset about it despite the ref not calling for a break. These rounds are razor thin through four rounds.
Davis tried to throw a pull-back counter right but came up short. A Davis left to the body did connect moments later and Roach landed a few jabs. Davis landed a glancing left and then dug in well to the body. Roach landed a straight right to the body. Roach landed a right hand and Davis responded with a shot to the body. Roach landed a left hook and then a jab. Another Roach left hand landed to the body. Roach landed a chopping right hand. Davis stepped with a left straight. A close round that may have shaded slightly to Roach.
Another slow start to a round. Roach moved forward and threw a right hand when Davis' back touched the ropes but it didn't connect. Roach picked off a left hand from Davis. Davis flashed a few jabs without landing. Roach threw his own jab and Davis avoided it, though Roach's second did land. A bit of dirty boxing happened in a clinch late but nobody landed anything of note. I rarely score rounds even but neither man did anything worthy of winning the second.
Both men came to the center of the ring and waited to engage before Roach threw a straight right to the body. Davis came up a bit short on a jab. Roach popped out a few more jabs, landing none of them for that stretch. Roach did connect to the body wit a few more jabs. The crowd grew restless through a slow opening round, with some sprinkled boos. Roach again went to the body. Davis tried to come forward with three punches but landed none. Roach whipped in a right hand that didn't land solidly but he likely won the round off of Davis' lack of output.
Davis is, understandably, a heavy favorite coming into the main event. He's undefeated, Roach has suffered a defeat as a pro, Davis is used to fighting at lightweight while Roach has competed a division lower, and Davis beat Roach every time they faced as amateurs.
Russell wins the first world championship of his career just one fight after suffering the first loss of his career. Fantastic stuff from the new champion.
Valenzuela was checked by the doctor one final time, and was again allowed to continue. To his credit, Valenzuela didn't stop trying to come forward and make something happen, even with the fight well out of reach and his power never bothering Russell in the bout. Valenzuela landed a good uppercut but Russell tagged him with heavy shots including a straight left that clearly had Valenzuela hurt. Russell is about to be crowned a world champion in the best performance of his career.
Valenzuela was again checked by the ringside doctor before the round. As soon as the round officially started, the action was again all Russell, with Valenzuela not having the power to convince him to stop walking forward and letting his hands go. Even when Valenzuela was able to land, Russell didn't seem to care and just threw more punches in return. Russell landed several heavy flurries as Valenzuela continued to show the effects of the constant barrage. This was the round where things completely entered "moral victory" territory for Valenzuela who seemed to have no better option than surviving to the final bell.
The doctor checked Valenzuela before the start of the round but allowed him to continue. Russell started the round with a series of good jabs. Russell continued to simply outwork, outpower and outland Valenzuela for yet another round. Valenzuela likely doesn't have to tools to finish the fight in the final two rounds and this feels like it's all Russell.
Every attempt for Valenzuela to make something happen was met from more shots from Russell, and Russell's punches were landing with far more impact. Valenzuela did landed a counter left hand before he was caught by more shots, including a hard counter right. Valenzuela's face was beginning to show the impact of Russell's harder shots. Russell started to tag Valenzuela with hard punches, forcing Valenzuela backward as he absorbed significant power shots. This was a great round for Russell.
Russell landed a hard left counter and then another left seconds later. Russell slowed down and worked the jab to open up a straight left from his southpaw stance. Russell continued to get the better of every exchange by landing more -- and cleaner -- punches. Russell landed a heavy left hand that knocked the mouthpiece from Valenzuela's mouth. Russell was firmly in control as the round ended.
Both men had some moments in early exchanges with Valenzuela's back against the ropes. Russell connected to the body and then upstairs with a right hook. Russell continued to push forward, put Valenzuela along the ropes and unload with the better shots. Valenzuela hadn't adjusted to the pressure and Russell landed a heavy uppercut. Valenzuela fired back with a few shots, but without enough power to get Russell to back off.
It was Russell again on the front foot, pushing Valenzuela back with heavy punches early in the round. Valenzuela was too content to go backward again in the first half of the round. Russell ate a left and then fired back with both hands connecting hard to Valenzuela's head. Russell slipped a sweeping left from Valenzuela late.
Valenzuela was more active than he had been in the early part of the fifth round. Valenzuela landed a good left hand but then got caught by a hard left from Russell. Russell again landed a good left as Valenzuela left his chin high in the air. Valenzuela landed a left straight that connected with some impact. Russell trapped Valenzuela against the ropes and connected with several shots in the position. An uppercut connected for Russell before Valenzuela slid off the ropes and back to the center of the ring. Russell landed another right hand late in a competitive round.
Russell again came out fast, forcing Valenzuela to fight defensively off of the back foot. Valenzuela landed a nice body shot but Russell came right back with a left hand to the head. Russell threw a heavy right to the body before Valenzuela came back with a two-punch combination. Valenzueal finally pushed forward and had some good success with several punches. That was Valenzuela's best round of the fight thus far.
Valenzuela has to figure out how to deal with Russell's pressure and he could himself along the ropes early again. Valenzuela is trying to fire doby shots and the occasional shot to the head but Russell's pressure is completely throwing him off through the early round. Russell dipped down again with the body shot and then threw a right uppercut behind it. Valenzuela trapped Russell in the corner but it was Russell who landed the better shots from that position.
Russell pushed Valenzuela into the ropes and landed a good straight left hand. Valenzuela landed a good right hook. Russell threw two hooks to the body before coming upstairs with one. Valenzuela landed a counter right hand but Russell kept putting on the pressure. Russell connected with a lead right and a right hook behind it.
Unsurprisingly, Valenzuela opened as the busier fighter. Russell tried to push forward and force Valenzuela to fight off the back foot. Russell then picked up the face, landing a good jab and then a left hand upstairs. Valenzuela landed a good hook and a jab behind it. Valenzuela again landed a hard left before Russell landed another good jab and then flurried inside. Valenzuela landed a slick uppercut off a nice side-step move. That was a solid first round.
Russell, coming off a loss to Puello, who won the last fight, is a slight -125 favorite coming into the bout. Valenzuela is coming off a close split decision upset win over Isaac Cruz in which he captured the title. Russell has knocked out every man he has defeated and will look to be the second man to knock out Valenzuela.
Hard to argue a close split decision. Martin landed far more power shots, even if the total shots landed were nearly even. Martin loses a heartbreaker, just as he did with his split decision loss to Teofimo Lopez in a fight many felt he lost. Hard luck for Martin.
The fight seemed very much up for grabs heading into the final round. Martin landed a good right hook counter. Puello landed a good uppercut inside before Martin connected with a left hand. Martin landed a left hand. Despite giving Martin the fight, this feels like it could go either way on the official cards.
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