Stephen A. Smith Slams Gervonta Davis Amid Explosive Rigging Allegations After Controversial Draw with Lamont Roach
The boxing world is reeling after a firestorm erupted over Gervonta “Tank” Davis’s latest fight against Lamont Roach, with sports commentator Stephen A. Smith leading the charge in a blistering critique of the undefeated lightweight star. The December 2024 bout, which ended in a contentious draw, has sparked widespread allegations of rigging, with fans, analysts, and fighters accusing the judges and referee of favoritism toward Davis. At the heart of the controversy is a ninth-round incident where Davis took a knee—a move many argue should have been ruled a knockdown—leaving Roach potentially robbed of a career-defining victory. As the debate rages, Smith and others are calling for a rematch to settle the score, while Davis’s reputation as boxing’s top box-office draw hangs in the balance.
The fight, billed as a showcase for Davis’s dominance at 135 pounds, instead turned into a showcase of resilience from Roach, a 16-to-1 underdog moving up from super featherweight. From the opening bell, Roach defied expectations, trading blows with the ferocious Davis and even buzzing the champion multiple times. CompuBox stats reveal a sluggish start—Davis landed just one punch in round one to Roach’s three—but the action heated up in the second half. By round nine, the defining moment arrived: Davis dropped to a knee, later claiming it was due to hair product dripping into his eyes. Referee Steve Willis started a count but abruptly stopped, ruling it a non-knockdown. The decision baffled onlookers, with two judges scoring the fight 114-114 and one giving Davis a 115-113 edge, resulting in a draw that left fans furious.
Stephen A. Smith didn’t hold back, tearing into Davis on his platform and questioning the integrity of the outcome. “We can debate the top fighter pound-for-pound, but what we cannot debate is who’s the biggest box-office attraction—that’s Gervonta Davis,” Smith declared. “But we’ll never look at him the same after this. He’s got to prove himself in a rematch with Lamont Roach.” Smith praised Roach’s heart and urgency, contrasting it with Davis’s lackluster effort to “defend his title like a champion,” as coach Bernie Davis put it. The ESPN analyst argued that Davis, known for his devastating one-punch power, should have made a statement rather than leaving room for doubt, especially against a fighter perceived as having the tools to test him.
The ninth-round knee incident has become the lightning rod of the controversy. Boxing legends like Terence Crawford and Ryan Garcia slammed the non-call, with Crawford tweeting, “They robbed that boy. It’s crazy—Roach won, and that should’ve been a knockdown.” Garcia called it “the most wild thing I’ve ever seen in boxing,” while George Kambosos Jr. insisted, “You can’t just take a knee and go to your corner. That’s a knockdown.” Analysts like Paulie Malignaggi and Kevin Iole echoed the sentiment, pointing to precedents like Floyd Mayweather’s 2001 fight against Carlos Hernandez, where a voluntary knee due to a hand injury was counted. “If Willis counts that as a knockdown, Roach wins by one point on two scorecards,” Malignaggi noted, underscoring how the referee’s decision flipped the fight’s outcome.
Joe Rogan added fuel to the fire, criticizing the rules as “written by lawyers” to favor Davis. He marveled at Roach’s performance, saying, “Lamont Roach didn’t just survive—he did damage and put Tank on his knee. If that’s counted, it’s a victory.” Rogan’s admiration for Roach’s skill was matched by his disbelief at the officiating, particularly a bizarre rule allowing a knocked-out fighter two minutes to recover and counter-knockout their opponent for a draw—a rule untested but ripe for scrutiny. Referee Willis’s refusal to comment post-fight only deepened suspicions, with his initial count and sudden halt raising questions about consistency and potential bias.
Davis’s camp has pushed back, with his trainer dismissing the knockdown claims and insisting Tank remained in control. Davis himself attributed the knee to an eye irritation from hair product—an excuse that drew mockery from peers like Shakur Stevenson, who’s eager for a future showdown. Yet, the backlash is undeniable. Fans flooded social media, branding the decision a “robbery” and accusing boxing of protecting its cash cow. Analysts like Shannon Sharpe and Benny Powell joined Smith in arguing Roach’s resilience and counterpunching warranted the win, with Powell tweeting, “How do judges not consider the knee? It’s indefensible.”
As the dust settles, the call for a rematch grows louder. Davis remains boxing’s biggest draw, but this controversy has dented his aura of invincibility. Roach, meanwhile, has emerged as a folk hero, proving he can hang with the best. Whether the sport delivers justice—or succumbs to its “dirty game,” as Smith called it—remains to be seen. For now, the boxing world waits for answers, and Davis faces a pivotal moment to reclaim his narrative in the ring.
