This weekend in Brooklyn, Gervonta Davis was taken the distance for the third time in 31 fights. In his opposing corner was Lamont Roach Jr., a man many believe should now be the WBA lightweight world champion.

‘Tank’ retained his belt with a majority draw on the cards, fueled by a bizarre maneuver by referee Steve Willis in the ninth round of not calling a knockdown despite the champion, without question, taking a knee.

It was a rare instance where Davis’s power couldn’t turn the tide, with Roach willing to stand and trade blows as the fight wore on, even forcing the champion to counter with his own shots on occasion. His performance, and the unsanctioned knockdown, led pound-for-pound superstar Terence Crawford to declare that Roach had been “robbed.”

This is just the second full round of twelve that ‘Tank’ Davis has completed after defeating Isaac Cruz by unanimous decision in 2021. In his ninth fight, he was also taken the distance by German Ivan Meraz, winning by unanimous decision after six.

In the post-fight press conference, Roach said the Baltimore knockout artist has “decent power” and said the reason he heard the final bell was due to his own chin.

It had quite a bit of power. It definitely had quite a bit of power. I’m not going to say I’m exaggerating. I just told you I have a chin. I’m not going to go like that. It’s just not going to happen.

But like I said, I understand why he knocked people out. I think he felt my power, too. I think that’s what nullified a lot of his punches. Once I landed his best shot, I thought, “Yeah, it’s time to go.” Like I said, I knew I had a good chin. I trained with junior middleweight fighters, like reigning champions in that weight class. So I know I can take a punch.

He’s nervous in there. I understand why he knocks people out. I mean, like he’s close, obviously I saw him like that on TV. But I understand why he knocks people out.

Both fighters have expressed interest in a rematch, though ‘Tank’ Davis says it won’t be the next one.