Boxer Gervonta Davis has held onto his WBA lightweight title despite voluntarily dropping a knee to the canvas and getting hair product wiped from his face.
His opponent, Lamont Roach, said the knee position should have counted as a “knockdown”.
Had it been, Davis would have lost a point and Roach would have won their bout in New York, leading to Davis’s first career defeat.
But the fight was scored as a majority draw, meaning that Davis – nicknamed Tank – held onto his belt.
One judge gave the contest to Davis 115-113, the other two scoring it 114-114.
Davis willingly took a knee near his corner in the ninth round before leaning over the ropes so his team could towel off the area around an eye.
He said grease had got into the eye after having his hair done a few days before the bout.
Referee Steve Willis did not count it as a knockdown, as it should be when a knee hits the canvas.
Roach commented: “It should have been a knockdown. If that was knockdown, I win the fight.
“He’s saying grease got in his eye, but if he takes a knee and the ref starts counting, it should be a knockdown.”
Read more:
Israel stopping all goods and supplies into Gaza
Second-ever privately funded space craft touches down on moon
Other boxers were surprised, too.
Multi-division champion Terence Crawford said: “I never seen someone take a knee and they don’t count it as a knockdown.”
Roach called for a rematch afterwards.
“For sure, Lamont is a great fighter,” Davis said.
“He got the skills and the punching power. It was a lesson learned. Shout out to Lamont Roach and his whole team. Hopefully we can run it back in New York.”
