Leaked Footage Sparks Outrage: Did Gervonta Davis Cheat Against Lamont Roach in Controversial Draw
The boxing world is reeling after newly leaked footage from Gervonta “Tank” Davis’s March 1, 2025, fight against Lamont Roach at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center reignited a firestorm of controversy. The bout, which ended in a majority draw, saw Davis retain his WBA lightweight title, but a pivotal ninth-round moment—where he dropped to a knee after a jab from Roach—has fans, analysts, and even fighters crying foul. With allegations of cheating now swirling, backed by fresh video evidence, the question looms: did Davis manipulate the rules to escape defeat, and will boxing authorities step in to right the wrong?
The leaked footage, allegedly sourced from the broadcast team, offers a new angle on the disputed ninth round. As Roach pressed forward with a crisp jab, Davis suddenly took a knee, pausing the action. Under standard boxing rules, this should have been ruled a knockdown, triggering a mandatory count. Yet referee Steve Willis hesitated, starting a count only to stop at three, allowing Davis to retreat to his corner where his team appeared to assist him mid-round—a potential rule violation. The footage shows Davis’s movements looking almost rehearsed, with some observers noting his body language suggested a tactical pause rather than a reaction to pain. Critics argue this was a calculated move to disrupt Roach’s momentum, especially as the challenger was gaining ground in a fiercely competitive fight.
Roach, visibly frustrated post-fight, insisted he deserved the win. “That was a knockdown, without a doubt,” he told Boxing News. “Even without the knee, I thought I did what I needed to do to bank the rounds.” The scorecards—114-114, 114-114, and 115-113 for Davis—left him fuming, especially as two judges inexplicably scored the ninth 10-9 in Davis’s favor. The leaked video has only amplified calls for justice, with prominent figures like Canelo Alvarez asserting that Davis’s actions warranted disqualification. “He took a knee, and the corner put a towel in his face—that’s a disqualification for sure,” Alvarez said, pointing to the rules.
Davis and his camp have pushed back hard. The Baltimore star claimed the knee drop resulted from hair grease blurring his vision, not a punch, and dismissed the footage as misleading. “It was grease in my eyes,” he said on social media, urging for a rematch in New York. His team argues the referee’s call was a judgment under pressure, not evidence of cheating. Yet, the New York State Athletic Commission’s failure to review the incident—blamed on a technical glitch—has deepened suspicions, with some fans alleging favoritism toward Davis, a pay-per-view juggernaut who drew a record-breaking 19,250 fans to the event.
As the controversy rages, the leaked footage has thrust boxing’s integrity into the spotlight. Will the WBA or commission reopen the case, or will a rematch be the only resolution? With Roach vowing to prove himself again and Davis’s legacy on the line, the stakes couldn’t be higher. One thing is clear: this fight’s fallout is far from over.
