Tank might be the greatest boxer of this era, but he will never be able to top Floyd Mayweather. Yesterday’s main event bout between Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Lamont Roach Jr. was a classic fight and could be the best fight each boxer has ever been in. Tank dominated the first half of the fight, but once Roach Jr. found his groove, it looked like Tank might actually lose. By the end of the 12th round, everybody awaited the ringside judges’ calls. One judge gave the decision to Tank, but the other two judges called for a draw, resulting in a majority draw decision for both fighters. This decision ruined Tank’s unblemished, perfect record of 30-0 and will ultimately keep him out of the GOAT conversations.
Even if he tried to hide it, Tank was devastated by that loss, and his reaction when the announcer called it said it all. Tank almost fell to his knees. The only thing holding him up was the ropes he was hanging on to. He played the cool-guy role and gave a few decent excuses for why he thought the judges called a tie. Still, Tank was lucky for it to be a draw as Roach Jr. outboxed him in ways we have never before seen. We all can’t forget about the uncalled controversial knockdown. Davis took a random knee in the ninth round after getting tagged several times by Roach Jr. After taking the knee, Davis went to his corner, had one of his coaches wipe his face off, and then returned to the ring — all with no penalty. That knee should have counted as a knockdown, which would have ultimately given the win to Roach Jr. through a split decision.
Many people think Roach Jr. was robbed. Roach Jr. put on a clinic; he stuck to his strategy and kept coming at Tank, even when the fight wasn’t going his way. You could see Tank getting frustrated throughout the whole fight because we have never seen him complain the way he was complaining to the referee. Roach also took full advantage of Tank Davis’s lack of awareness, catching him multiple times when Tank was yelling at the referees. Roach outboxed Tank Davis, especially in the latter rounds, seeing him with multiple power shots, including a mean counter punch that clearly left Davis stunned. There might have been questions before, but Roach left no doubt that not only should he be in the ring with Davis, but that he can actually beat him.
Tank should find this an excellent lesson. Stop playing with your food. Tank was braggadocios early on and, even before the fight, arrogant. Roach Jr. was not the opponent to face and was not 100 percent locked in. They have been rivals for almost a decade now. They fought at the Junior Olympics nearly a decade ago before both fighters went pro, and Tank won that match by decision. I don’t know if Davis had too much respect for his childhood rival, but the killer instinct we usually see from Tank was not there. Instead of going straight to his corner, Tank would tap Roach Jr.’s chest at the end of every round, showing him some love until Roach Jr. started landing punches and getting Tank frustrated. We have never seen Tank that buddy-buddy with an opponent before.
Regardless of why or how it happened, Tank Davis’ unblemished record is no longer that. He might not have lost, but for what having a perfect record meant, it might as well have been an L. The stain might be small, but it will remain. It will always be something that your old mentor and former business partner, Floyd Mayweather, will forever have on you. He could hide it all he wants or play it cool, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Tank Davis broke down in tears in that locker room. He will never pass Floyd, and his legacy will never be the same. Unfortunately, Tank Davis is the only one to blame.
