Revenge was definitely on Lamont Roach Jr.‘s mind going into the March 1 fight. After all, this wasn’t just about the pros—it went all the way back to their amateur days. Fans were hyped to see if Roach could actually take down the heavy favorite, Gervonta Davis. And honestly? The bout lived up to the drama. It turned out to be a commercial knockout, generating a whopping $6.4 million gate from 16,420 tickets sold (plus a few comps) at Barclays Center, according to an official New York State audit.

But when the fight was ruled a draw? Yeah—both fighters were caught off guard. Gervonta Davis got to walk away with his WBA Lightweight belt still around his waist, while Lamont Roach Jr. had to swallow a bitter pill. No belt. No double-division glory. And no jump into the elite league, even though many thought he did enough to win. The New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) appeal? That was his last shot to change the outcome. But that didn’t work out either. Even with WBA President Gilberto J. Mendoza Jr. publicly saying the knee should’ve been ruled a knockdown and “it affected the result,” the commission held its ground. And now? The Reaper is stepping up to say exactly how he felt about their final call.

For NYSAC, it wasn’t Gervonta Davis’ fault

During his sit-down with Andre Ward recently, the duo dove into the controversial non-call during the March 1 fight. Andre Ward, like many of us, just wanted to know: what was the reason? And Lamont Roach Jr. didn’t sugarcoat it. Basically, the NYSAC told Team Roach that even if the referee Steve Willis had ruled it a knockdown, they couldn’t say for sure how the rest of the fight would’ve played out. In short, “Yeah, we messed up. But somebody got to take the fall,” he stated in the interview. But The Reaper already knew that the one to take the blame certainly “ain’t going to be him [Gervonta Davis].” According to the Washington native, that was NYSAC’s way of admitting fault without doing anything about it. According to Roach, for NYSAC it was like, “All right, we missed this… But they’re just saying like, “All right, we’re not going to overturn it though.”

But instead of calling it what it was, they did something else. Which is? “We’re going to apologize and give you your flowers. But you ain’t going to get what you want,” Roach said. For him, it felt like they needed someone to take the fall, and it clearly wasn’t going to be the referee or Gervonta Davis. And speaking of the referee when asked if had heard anything from Willis personally Lamont Roach Jr. revealed, “He[Steve Willis] didn’t make no statement. I ain’t going to lie, man. That was, from him, that’s sad,” emphasizing the dejection he feels from no one owning up to their mistake.

Andre Ward jumped in with some real talk, pointing out how commissions often protect their referees even when they clearly mess up. And this one? It wasn’t just a tiny slip—it could’ve impacted Roach’s legacy and even his paycheck. He’s currently in talks for a rematch, and negotiating from a point of a draw vs. a win. According to Ward, those are two very different conversations. To this, Roach agreed: “Two different discussions!”

While it may have looked like Gervonta Davis was getting the benefit of the doubt as one of boxing’s elite, he might need to rethink his game plan—and fast. Because if he doesn’t, that spotless record and carefully built legacy could be on the line.

Lamont Roach Jr. was on game

Over a week after the March 1 fight, The Ring revealed its updated pound-for-pound rankings. And guess who just got the boot? It’s none other than Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis. That’s right. The 30-year-old WBA lightweight champion, who was sitting comfortably at number eight before the Roach fight, is now nowhere to be found on the list.

Instead, they brought in David Benavidez at the 10th spot. Meanwhile, Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev swapped places in the 4th and 5th positions. Everything else? Pretty much untouched. So yeah, it’s not looking too great for Tank rankings-wise—but it’s not all doom and gloom.

Despite the fallout, not everyone’s turning their back on Davis. Former champion and boxing analyst Timothy Bradley stepped up to defend him after the controversial majority draw against Lamont Roach Jr. “Tank is not overrated, or anything like that,” he told BoxingScene. Instead, Bradley gave Lamont Roach Jr. his flowers, praising his unexpected aggression: “Roach became the puncher! It was so interesting.” And the 30-0 boxer? According to Bradley, he knows he didn’t bring his best that night—“I think that Tank feels that he let himself down.”

At this point, the answer’s pretty clear: we need a rematch. Gervonta Davis needs to reclaim his respect and Lamont Roach Jr.? He needs to prove this wasn’t some one-night upset. Do you think NYSAC should’ve overturned the result after admitting to the referee’s mistake? Was Lamont Roach Jr. robbed of a defining career moment against Gervonta Davis? Do let us know your thoughts with us below.