The boxing world was left torn down by Garbonta “Tank” Davis, who escaped from the Barclays Center on Saturday, and a majority draw with Lamon Troch.
An undefeated and heavy favorite, 30-year-old Davis kneeled in the middle of the ninth round before retreating to his corner, with members of his team wiped their faces with a towel.
An unusual movement, essentially a timeout should be evaluated as a knockdown, and umpire Steve Willis appeared to start a 10 count. But Willis can tell Davis on the broadcast, “You take such a knee, it looks like a knockdown.”
However, the fight continued without being believed that the cockroach had knocked Davis down.
The decision proved monumental as two judges won 114-114 and the third judge won 115-113 at Davis, resulting in a majority draw, allowing Davis to maintain the WBA lightweight title.
Although it was the first non-winning of Davis' career, he remains unbeaten 30-0-1.
Davis said in a postwar interview in the ring that he had his hair adjusted on Thursday and his eyes were burning.
The crowd booed during Davis' answer so they didn't buy it.
“Damn, why am I booing like I'm saying the Bulls? This is a real truth. I'm a guy,” Davis said. “Look at my hair. I just accomplished my s-t.”
Roach, 29, thought he should win the battle.
“It should have been a knockdown,” Roach said. “If it's knockdown, I'll win the fight. He says that grease got into his eyes, but if he takes his knee and ref starts counting, it should be a knockdown. That's the reality. I'm not lending the bank to the bank to win that knockdown. I thought I pulled it out.”
Undefeated boxing star Terrence Crawford was incredible in a string of X's posts, with Roach supposed to have won and declared that Davis would be a knockdown for him to fall on his knees.
“They took the boy, and it's crazy,” Crawford said.
“I've never seen anyone take my knees and they don't count it as a knockdown. I have to forget tonight's rules.”
Former welterweight champion Sean Porter repeated Crawford's sentiment.
“Round 9 should be 10-8 rounds for cockroaches,” Porter writes to X.
George Kambosos Jr. chased Davis about the outcome.
“There's the perfect record out there!!! It was a knockdown!! It ultimately made a difference!” Kambosos wrote. “The dwarves went to me for my losses [Devin] Haney and Roma [Vasiliy Lomachenko,] Time to see yourself, one-key tankey, a great job cockroach. respect! ! The Tanky jig is up! ”
The female boxing star Claressa Shields was also unbelievable.
“How much they're paying for the Ref…. This is crazy,” Shields wrote.
