Roach’s Late Rally Left Davis With a Draw and a Disputed Escape
Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach fought to a majority draw on March 1, 2025, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Davis retained the WBA lightweight championship after twelve rounds, with one judge scoring 115–113 for him and the other two returning 114–114 totals.
Davis’s early advantage met a stronger second half
Davis built an early lead, but Roach increasingly found his counter right hand and made the defending champion work through the later rounds. The challenger’s higher activity helped keep the contest close.
Roach threw more punches overall and finished strongly, including a productive final round. Davis still landed effective power shots, but could not produce the decisive finish associated with many of his previous victories.
A voluntary knee became the central controversy
In the ninth round, Davis took a knee after absorbing a jab and then went to his corner to have grease removed from his eye. The moment was not ruled a knockdown.
That decision mattered to the scoring. A knockdown would have changed the arithmetic on the two even cards, making the interruption a major focus of the post-fight debate.
The official outcome kept the championship with Davis
The draw left Davis unbeaten at thirty wins and one draw, while Roach stood at twenty-five wins, one loss and two draws. Roach had moved up from super featherweight for the challenge.
Neither boxer secured a majority of winning verdicts. Davis therefore retained the belt, while Roach’s late work and the ninth-round controversy ensured that the final scorecards did not settle the arguments surrounding the fight.
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Gervonta Davis, Lamont Roach, Boxing
