The New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) has weighed in on a protest lodged by Team Roach, about actions in round nine of the Gervonta “Tank” Davis vs Lamont Roach lightweight title fight at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Saturday, March 1. The result, a draw, will stand, it was decided, so folks hoping to see Roach rewarded fully for a marvelous performance will be disappointed.
A letter sent to counsel for Roach contained wording which explained the reasoning as to why the controversial call to NOT award Roach a 10-8 in the ninth round, when he threw a punch, and Davis reacted by taking one knee.
In the arena, there was widespread uncertainty in the air, as fans and the assembled in the building saw ref Steve Willis start a count, then stop it, as Davis went to his corner. Tank Davis explained after getting the draw verdict that no, he didn’t take a knee from a punch, rather that hair product had dripped into his eye.
The NYSAC letter said a result of a match can be modified later when “it is presented with sufficient, conclusive evidence” and “it has determined that such action is in the best interest of combative sports.” NYSAC would need to see the referee making a “clear error” and, crucially, that “the error was OUTCOME DETERMINATIVE with an improper outcome resulting.”
Three examples were cited by NYSAC in the Roach protest response, noting that the commission will “very rarely” change an outcome. The referee in charge of a bout has the exclusive authority to rule a knockdown… or not.
The commission does indeed offer the opinion that in a perfect world, with ample time to see through the fog of ring warring, “that the most appropriate call under the circumstances presented would have been for the referee to determine that Mr. Davis’s knee contacting the canvas constituted a knockdown.” Sadly, maybe, for Roach, a “but” came next. “But referee Willis in the heat of the battle chose to rule “no knockdown.”
Rounds ten, 11 and 12 proceeded, and in the commissions’ eyes, that rendered the asterisk ninth round less “all important” but more so part of the entirety of the bout.
More from the response letter: Ref Davis is allowed discretion in this sort of occurrence. As when a Davis corner man stayed in the ring at the start of the tenth, Willis could have in theory disqualified Davis but he let the show continue, preferring a lighter touch.
“The commission will not take further action in regard to (the) protest, and the official result of the bout will not be disturbed,” according to Matthew Delaglio, executive director of NYSAC.
My Three Cents: It’s like I figured fight night: let’s book the rematch, and both guys will know they need to do more to get the W. Oh, and let’s make sure moving forward nobody is using sneaky hair gel.
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