Gervonta Davis Wants Rematch with Lamont Roach In May

Gervonta Davis wants a rematch against Lamont Roach Jr. by the “end of May” — at least that’s what he posted on X Monday.

In another post, Davis said he’s “pushing” to run it back after he and Roach battled to a controversial 12-round majority draw in a WBA lightweight title bout on Saturday in Brooklyn. Two judges scored the fight 114-114 while a third scored it 115-113 for Davis.

Controversy entered when Davis took a knee in Round 9 following a jab that Roach landed. Referee Steve Willis correctly started to count, but when he reached three, he stopped and didn’t rule it a knockdown. Davis then retreated to his corner where a corner member wiped his eyes with a towel, which is prohibited during the round.

Davis (30-0-1, 28 KOs) said after the fight that he took a knee because the grease from a hair treatment Thursday “burned my eyes.”

If Willis followed the rules and called a knockdown, Roach (25-1-2) would have scored a victory by decision. Only the referee has authority to stop the action.

Here’s the moment of controversy; you make the call:

In the meantime, the New York State Athletic Commission told ESPN in a statement that it is “reviewing the matter” involving Davis taking a knee.

“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,” a commission spokeswoman stated. “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.”

A clause in the fight contract stipulated a rematch in the event Davis didn’t win. At the press conference following the bout, Davis shot down a potential rematch with Roach. But the 30-year-old has since changed his stance and wants a rematch as soon as late May.

Roach, the WBA titleholder at 130 pounds, entered the fight as a massive underdog. After the bout, he said, “If you take a knee and the ref starts counting, it should be a knockdown. If that’s a knockdown, I win the fight.” Roach wasn’t alone in his assessment. Several former world champion fighters bashed the result and said Roach should’ve won, as noted in Forbes writer Brian Mazique’s piece.

If Davis dominates Roach in a rematch, it would partially erase the controversy and one blemish — a draw — on his otherwise pristine record. A dominant win against Roach would also reaffirm that Davis is one of the pound-for-pound best fighters on the planet.