Boxing

Devin Haney Gives Take On Who Won Lamont Roach Jr vs Gervonta Davis Fight

Devin Haney was shocked by what he saw in Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach Jr.
Nathaniel Marrero|
Devin Haney (right) vs. Ryan Garcia (left)
Devin Haney (right) vs. Ryan Garcia (left) | IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire

Boxing fans weren't the only ones in awe and shock at what they saw when Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach Jr. fought to a majority draw on Saturday.

Former undisputed lightweight and WBC junior welterweight champion Devin Haney was among them.

Haney said he wasn't completely shocked by how Roach Jr. performed, noting how they came up through the amateurs together, though, Davis taking a knee in the ninth round only for it to not be ruled a knockdown by referee Steve Willis was something he'd never seen.

"I thought it was a good fight overall," Haney said. "I always knew Lamont wasn't coming to lay down. I've known Lamont since we were kids, so we came up in amateurs together, so I knew that Lamont was serious. He was coming there to fight, but he did a lot better than I thought he would, and I thought he won the fight personally. The no knockdown, that was unheard of. That was the first time I've ever seen it with my own two eyes."

Haney will make his return in a welterweight bout against former unified junior welterweight champion Jose Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs).

Early in the ninth round, Roach Jr. (25-1-2, 10 KOs) seemingly landed a punch and moments later, Davis (30-0-1, 28 KOs) took a knee before going to his corner to have his face wiped by one of his cornermen. Willis went to begin his count before stopping and allowing the fight to resume.

Roach Jr.'s lawyer, Greg Smith, has since sent a letter to the New York State Athletic Commission asking them to review the decision. If Willis ruled Davis taking a knee as a knockdown and the three judges scored the round a 10-8 for Roach Jr, he would have won the bout by unanimous decision.

Eric Malinski scored the bout 115-113 in favor of Tank, while Steve Weisfeld and Glenn Feldman scored the bout 114-114. Feldman and Marlinski scored the ninth round in favor of Davis, while Weisfeld gave the round to Roach Jr.

On Monday, the NYSAC released a statement on the matter, saying it was reviewing the controversial call by referee Steve Willis in the ninth round and that technical difficulties led to them not being able to review the call.

“At this time, the New York State Athletic Commission is reviewing the matter involving Saturday’s match up between Lamont Roach and Gervonta Davis," The NYSAC responded. "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. Therefore, the referee’s in-ring decision was relied upon and the fight continued."

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Nathaniel Marrero
NATHANIEL MARRERO

Nathaniel Marrero is a writer for the Boxing, Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Ravens On SI sites. He's also written for the Orlando Sentinel and MLB.com, and was a part of UCF's sports show, Hitting The Field. He attended UCF and graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2023. Twitter/X: Nate_Marrero

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