Boxing

Mike Tyson Criticizes Gervonta 'Tank' Davis vs Lamont Roach Fight Controversy

Boxing legend Mike Tyson got honest about the controversial Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach title fight.
Grant Young|
Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul press conference during Fanatics Fest in New York City on August 19, 2024.
Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul press conference during Fanatics Fest in New York City on August 19, 2024. | IMAGO / Cover-Images

While the fight took place over a month ago at this point, there's still a ton of conversation regarding what happened in the ninth round of the WBA lightweight title fight between Gervonta "Tank" Davis and Lamont Roach.

Boxing fans probably know by now that Davis took a knee out of nowhere in the middle of the round after absorbing a jab from Roach. After staying on the knee for a moment, Davis then got up, walked over to his corner, and had one of his team members wipe his face off with a towel (which is grounds for disqualification). After doing so, Davis walked right back into the fight.

In addition to referee Steve Willis not disqualifying or penalizing Davis at all for going to his corner, he also didn't deem Tank taking a knee as a knockdown, which meant the round wasn't scored a 10-8 in favor of Roach. Therefore, Davis managed to earn a majority draw result in the fight, which sets the stage for a rematch.

Several notable names in the boxing community have criticized how this fateful ninth round was handled. And the most recent person to do so is the legendary Mike Tyson, who detailed his opinion during an April 2 interview with Sports Illustrated.

At one point in the interview, Tyson was asked, "Should a point have been taken from Tank for the knee vs. Roach?"

"Yeah, the point should have been taken away," Tyson answered. "Regardless about what's in his eye, he did the knee, took the knee, should have got the point taken away, whatever the rule called for."

The New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) declared that the rule called for Davis to be called for a knockdown, but it ultimately depended on the referee making the right decision.

And fortunately for Tank, referee Steve Willis made the wrong decision that night.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young is a Staff Writer for On SI’s Boxing, New York Mets, Indiana Fever, and Women’s Fastbreak sites. Before joining SI in 2024, he wrote for various boxing and sports verticals such as FanBuzz and NY Fights. Young has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in creative writing with an emphasis on sports nonfiction from the University of San Francisco, where he played five seasons of Division 1 baseball. He fought Muay Thai professionally in Thailand in 2023, loves a good essay, and is driven crazy trying to handle a pitpull puppy named Aura. Young lives in San Diego and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.