Gervonta Davis’ kneeling non-call under review by New York State Athletic Commission

The New York State Athletic Commission is reviewing the non-knockdown call of Gervonta “Tank” Davis kneeling during the ninth round of his fight against Lamont Roach from Saturday night.

In a statement sent to DAZN News on Monday, the NYSAC cited “a technical issue” as the reason it didn’t step in and act following veteran boxing referee Steve Willis not ruling Davis kneeling as a knockdown at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

“During the round in question, following the commission’s request for the replay video, there was a technical issue preventing the commission from receiving it within the allotted time for review,” the NYSAC said in its statement.

“Therefore, the referee’s in-ring decision was relied upon and the fight continued.

"The commission is dedicated to preserving the integrity of combative sports and is committed to working with all promotions and production teams — on behalf of the athletes, officials, and fans – to ensure technical issues do not occur in the future that prevent the delivery of ringside instant replay feeds to the commission’s officials when needed.”

 

The controversial moment took place when Davis took a knee during the ninth round and referee Willis immediately began counting before inexplicably stopping the count. He then allowed Davis’ corner to wipe his face.

After the bout was ruled a majority draw, Davis explained that he knelt because he had gotten his hair done two days prior and grease seeped into his eye, causing a burning sensation that he needed to get wiped.

Had Roach been credited with the official knockdown, the ninth round would have been scored 10-8 in his favor and he could have left Brooklyn as the new WBA lightweight world champion.

Both Davis (30-0-1, 28 KOs) and Roach (25-1-2, 10 KOs) have expressed the desire to have a rematch.