Undefeated American Gervonta “Tank” Davis (30-0-1, 28 KOs) retained his WBA lightweight world title (135 lbs) with a majority draw against Lamont Roach Jr. (25-1-2, 10 KOs) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The first judge scored the fight in favor of Davis, 115-113, while the other two judges had it 114-114, resulting in a majority draw.
Heading into the bout, Davis was a massive favorite and was expected to stop Roach. However, Roach stood his ground, absorbing Davis’s power shots, and responded with his own, surprising both Davis and those watching.
Davis has a history of slow starts to his fights, and Roach took advantage, pressing the action and avoiding heavy shots throughout the early rounds. In the middle rounds, Davis began increasing his offense, but Roach continued to hold his own, landing combinations and counters to keep the fight competitive.
A controversial moment occurred in the 9th round when Roach landed a jab, and Davis moved forward before taking a knee and walking to his corner, signaling that he had grease in his eyes. Despite Davis taking the knee just moments after Roach’s punch, the referee did not rule it a knockdown. Had the knockdown been called, it could have swung the fight in Roach’s favor.
Sensing the fight slipping away, Davis pressed the action in the championship rounds in search of a finish. He landed several big shots but never came close to hurting Roach. However, his late activity won him the final two rounds on all three scorecards to retain his title via majority draw.
Davis appeared passive for much of the fight, a common trend seen in previous bouts. Typically, he takes time to read his opponents’ patterns before breaking them down and finishing fights. However, Roach was willing to trade blows and remained competitive, landing effective shots of his own. Statistically, Roach out-landed Davis with 112 punches to 103, though Davis had the slight edge in power punches, landing 93 compared to Roach’s 87. Overall, Davis was the more accurate fighter, landing 103 of 279 punches, while Roach was more active, landing 112 of 400 punches.
Both fighters expressed disappointment in the result, and a rematch seems like the best option, given how closely contested the first fight was.
.@Gervontaa and @Oneof1x promised fireworks and you're getting them! Lets boogie!#TankRoach | LIVE NOW on PBC PPV on @PrimeVideo: https://t.co/qlhPUvMw05 pic.twitter.com/aOSD8v7NTC
— Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) March 2, 2025
Davis vs Roach Jr. Fight Card Results
- Gervonta Davis (c) vs. Lamont Roach Jr. ends in majority draw (115-113, 114-114, 114-114)
- Gary Antuanne Russell def. Jose Valenzuela (c) via unanimous decision (119-109, 119-109, 118-110)
- Alberto Puello (c) def. Sandor Martin via split decision (115-113, 113-115, 116-112)
- Yoenis Tellez def. Julian Williams via unanimous decision (118-110, 117-111, 119-109)
