The combat sports world has been debating about the Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach Jr. fight since it wrapped up last week. Fans, fighters, and analysts are split down the middle. Some believe that it was Roach’s combo that forced Tank to take a knee, while others believe it was the grease in his hair that was the culprit. Regardless, most, except Tank Davis fans, believe it should have been ruled a knockdown. Either way, the debate is heating up, and everyone’s waiting for the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) to drop the hammer with their final ruling. It was the team Roach that officially requested that NYSAC either disqualify Gervonta Davis or overturn the result in favor of Lamont Roach Jr. But so far, it’s all up in the air.
Meanwhile, big names in boxing—Terence Crawford, Claressa Shields, Ryan Garcia, and Tank’s arch-nemesis, Shakur Stevenson—have all called foul, saying the knockdown should’ve been scored 10-8 for the round. But Gervonta Davis isn’t having any of it. Brushing off the criticism, he’s already looking ahead to his next fight or a possible rematch. But just when it seemed like the dust might settle, Canelo Alvarez has now stepped into the controversy. For someone who keeps away from things not involving him, he had a few pointed things to say.
Canelo Álvarez slams Gervonta Davis’ team for interference
By now, everyone is aware of the fact that Canelo Alvarez has signed a four-fight deal with His Excellency Turki Alalshikh. On May 3rd, he will fight William Scull for the IBF, WBC, WBA, and WBO titles in Riyadh. So, with just a few months left for the fight, he sat for an interview with Peter Rosenburg of Hot 97 yesterday. They were seen discussing his upcoming bouts and also about the new agreement he made with HE Turki Alalshikh. While discussing all the hot topics of the boxing world, Rosenburg took the chance to shoot a question regarding the Brooklyn fight on March 1. He asked, “Did Gervonta Davis take a knee, and should he have been deducted a point?” The Mexican champion replied, “He take a knee, you need to lose like 10-8 that round at least.”
The unified Super Middleweight champion mentioned that the moment Gervonta Davis took a knee in the ninth round, the referee should have given him a standing 10-count, and the judges should have deducted points for Davis in the scorecards—a straight 10-8 should have been the appropriate course of action. But since referee Steve Willis didn’t rule it a knockdown, Tank dodged a bullet and didn’t lose the round, which many argue contributed to the draw. If that wasn’t enough, he raised another issue.
The 34-year-old pointed out, “The corner, he go up and put the towel in the face, that’s disqualification, for sure.” In boxing, if a fighter’s corner jumps in to assist them mid-round without the ref’s green light, that’s grounds for a disqualification. So, the act of Calvin Ford jumping up and wiping Tank’s face could be seen as outside intervention.
The 62-2 boxer made it clear that his stance was based on looking at the matter through an objective lens—it’s about sticking to the rulebook. “I am talking about the rules,” the Guadalajara native reminded. Moreover, he’s not alone in that stance. Even the WBA president is singing the same tune.
WBA President clarifies his stance
With all the speculations coming from various angles, even Gilberto J. Mendoza Jr., the president of the WBA, couldn’t keep his cool. He reiterated his stance on the controversial moment for the March 1st fight that resulted in a draw. Just a few days after the final showdown, in a statement on X, the 54-year-old emphasized: “Let me repeat: I stand by what expressed last Sunday in @ringmagazine, based on my 30 years plus experience. Taking a knee without a punch shall be rule a knockdown. It affected the result of the fight.”
Let me repeat: I standby what expressed last Sunday in @ringmagazine based on my 30 years plus experience. Taking a knee without a punch shall be rule a knockdown. It affected the result of the fight.
— Gilberto J Mendoza (@GilberticoWBA) March 5, 2025
Now, because it was not counted as a knockdown, Lamont Roach Jr. couldn’t emerge victorious in a unanimous decision with a little margin. While judge Glenn Feldman and Steve Weisfeld scored the bout as 114-114, judge Eric Marlinski gave it to Davis by scoring 115-113. And that’s what had been bothering the WBA Super Featherweight champion, given the fact that he had knocked his opponent down on the ground. As a result, the 29-year-old simply didn’t accept it to be the right call. “If you voluntarily take a knee and the ref’s not counting, that’s a knockdown,” he said. “If that’s a knockdown, I win the fight.”
Having said that, do you think Gervonta Davis should have been disqualified, or was the referee’s decision fair? Should NYSAC overturn the fight result based on the knee controversy, or is it time to move on to the rematch? Do let us know your thoughts below.
The post “That’s Disqualification”- Canelo Alvarez Sounds Off on Gervonta Davis for Breaking the Rules vs. Lamont Roach Jr. appeared first on EssentiallySports.
