Is the aura of invincibility that used to surround Gervonta Davis in the ring gone? Some think so following Davis’ controversial majority draw against Lamont Roach Jr. on March 1 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Many believe Davis deserved to lose the decision and that referee Steve Willis should have ruled Tank down when he took a knee in the ninth round.
Former IBF, WBC and WBO lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr., who has engaged in a war of words with Davis on social media, insists Tank has “lost a lot of stock.”
Kambosos made the comments during an interview on FightHype.
“He’s just had a draw and lost a lot of stock,” Kambosos said as he wiped sweat from his face following a workout for his upcoming fight against Daud Yordan on March 22. “What does he have to do? Rebuild his career.”
Davis has been the target of mounds of criticism from almost everyone in the boxing community since the fight with Roach. The two men have since said they want a rematch, and the New York State Athletic Commission is reviewing the mishap in the ninth round when the replay system failed, preventing Davis’ gesture from being reviewed and ruled a knockdown.
Had Davis been ruled down in the ninth round, Roach would have won the fight by majority decision and become a two-division world champion. As it was, Davis remains the champion and keeps his unbeaten record intact.
Kambosos and Davis’ rivalry began on social media and stems from mutual disrespect. Davis seemingly doesn’t respect Kambosos as a fighter, and the latter points to Tank’s questionable competition throughout his career.
During Davis’ career, he has mostly used his athleticism, patience, and punching power to walk through his competition. On Saturday, Davis ran into an opponent who wasn’t intimidated and took Tank’s power without major consequence.
While you’re unlikely to find anyone who has lost all respect for what Davis can do in the ring, there are seemingly some areas where opponents can get the best of the WBA champion.
Before Roach’s stellar performance, the only other fighter who has gone the distance with Davis is Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz. Many will be watching Davis’ next moves to see if he is serious about a quick rematch.
If the second fight happens, it will be interesting to see if Roach is more confident but less disciplined. As for Davis, it is unclear if he knows how to fight in a different style.
Davis’ in-ring IQ is highly underrated. We’ve seen him download data during the early rounds against other opponents, but he looked as though he never found his rhythm against Roach.
After the fight, Roach had no shortage of supporters. Roach’s buddy and Davis’ rival, Shakur Stevenson, praised Roach’s performance and even offered to be his next opponent.
While that fight makes sense, I’d prefer to see Davis rematch Roach. That is the fight fans want to see most—especially after Roach made us wonder if Davis was truly unbeatable.
