WBA president Gilberto Mendoza has expressed his appetite for a rematch following Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach Jr’s controversial draw last Saturday.
The pair collided for Davis’ WBA world lightweight title at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, headlining an Amazon Prime pay-per-view card.
Ahead of their clash, Roach, 25-1-2 (10 KOs), was widely considered to be a sizable underdog, but nonetheless produced a glittering performance to take his fearsome opponent the full 12-round distance.
And yet, before the judges’ scorecards were read out, a questionable call from referee Steve Willis swiftly became the major talking point of their encounter.
Despite issuing a count after Davis, 30-0-1 (28 KOs), took a knee, Willis then made a sharp U-turn and instead ruled it a no-knockdown.
During his post-fight press conference, ‘Tank’ revealed that the hair product from his braids had slipped into his eyes, causing him to suffer from a discomforting burning sensation.
In any case, though, Willis has come under fire for denying Roach what should have been a career-best victory, as a 10-8 round would have ultimately swung the result in his favour.
A rematch, therefore, appears to be the most logical next step, with Mendoza telling The Ring that there is ‘no doubt’ about it happening.
But while that may be the case from his perspective, Davis has already hinted that his next opponent has been lined up.
Roach, meanwhile, has retained his WBA super-featherweight title, though is perhaps more likely to remain at 135lbs in the wake of his statement performance.
