As the New York State Athletic Commission continues to review referee Steve Wilis’ errant handling of Lamont Roach’s Saturday night knockdown of Gervonta Davis, a compelling ProBox TV panel discussion assessed the matter Wednesday.
“If they do one thing, Lamont Roach wins the fight,” said Dan Rafael, the veteran boxing writer now distributing his Fight Freaks Unite! Substack. “That bad night [by Willis] cost Lamont Roach a championship, [deprived him of] hanging the first loss on America’s top fighter … a lot of stuff went bad, and it was all against Lamont Roach.”
In speaking to regulators across the country Wednesday, they say New York commission head Matthew Delaglio is in a tough bind trying to resolve the “human error” that saw Willis start and then stop his eight-count of Davis after receiving multiple punches from Roach, which prompted Davis to take a knee and then walk to his corner, where co-trainer Calvin Ford was there to meet him and wipe his face with a towel.
Davis later explained he felt the sting of a hair chemical in his eye and was merely seeking relief.
While some feel Delaglio should deduct a point from Davis for any of his transgressions and make Roach the new WBA lightweight champion after fighting to Saturday night’s majority draw, others say that’s not fair to Davis, a knockout puncher who might’ve shifted into a more desperate, offensive mindset in the final three rounds had he known he had been docked with a knockdown.
The panel, including retired California referee Jack Reiss, trainer Stephen “Breadman” Edwards, Rafael and ProBox TV regulars Chris Algieri and Paulie Malignaggi, were in unison that Roach’s bended knee met the definition of a knockdown.
ProBox TV founder Garry Jonas, who advises Roach, filed an official appeal letter to the New York commission, asking that it rule Roach the winner based on the multiple opportunities Willis had to deduct a point from Davis: the knockdown, turning his back to Roach and walking to his corner, and Ford walking up the steps to treat him mid-round.
Edwards provided a telling point.
“People make mistakes, but this always happens to favor the ‘A’ side,” Edwards said. “Steve Willis has an excellent career. This moment just shocked him.”
Referee Reiss sought to explain that officials have leeway as the bout’s “sole arbiter” to exercise discretion over how the fight proceeds.
“You cannot call your own timeout,” Malignaggi responded.
Rafael also reported there was an opportunity to review the replay of the knockdown, but it didn’t happen.
That inspired Algieri and Malignaggi to conclude there’s only one effective way to respond: Stage an immediate rematch right back at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.