PITBULL CRUZ VS. LAMONT ROACH JR | WBC SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT | DECEMBER 6

GERVONTA 'TANK' DAVIS SAYS ROACH WON'T BE HIS NEXT FIGHT

GERVONTA 'TANK' DAVIS VS. LAMONT ROACH | FULL FIGHT HD

 

'ROBBED': GERVONTA DAVIS VS. LAMONT ROACH CONTROVERSY - 'TANK' KNEE NO-CALL SETS OFF BOXING WORLD

Gervonta Davis takes a knee in the middle of Round 9 against Lamont Roach Jr. during their bout for Davis' WBA lightweight title at Barclays Center in New York. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach ended in a way that left no one — outside of perhaps Davis' camp — satisfied. Following the end of 12 hyper-competitive rounds, "Tank" was given the gift of a lifetime, with Saturday's three ringside judges submitting two 114-114 scorecards along with a 115-113 score for Davis, turning a bout many assumed would be a life-changing Roach upset win instead into a majority draw.

Considering the closeness of the scores, the critical moment of the fight came in Round 9 when referee Steve Willis bafflingly allowed Davis to take a knee and essentially call his own timeout following a Roach jab. Davis said post-fight that he wanted his corner to wipe away grease from his braids that had gotten into his eyes, but regardless of his reasoning, the rules of boxing are clear in not allowing fighters to call their own timeouts, and thus Davis' actions should've constituted an official knockdown.

Had Willis handled the situation correctly, Roach would've earned an extra point advantage in the ninth round and ultimately won the bout on two scorecards, granting him a career-altering win over an undefeated fighter many consider to be one of the pound-for-pound 10 best in the world.

Davis was more than an 18-to-1 favorite at BetMGM to defeat Roach and defend his WBA lightweight title on Saturday at Barclays Center in New York.

Understandably, the bizarre nature of Willis' decision and the final result leaving Roach high and dry after what should've been the most lucrative performance of his career set off a wave of outrage in the boxing world, with a myriad of pound-for-pound stars and sweet science notables lambasting the outcome.

The NYSAC has something to answer for. The scorecards were fine. Competitive fight. But Lamont Roach gets the knockdown he deserved in the ninth and he wins. Absolutely ridiculous.

- Chris Mannix

DAVID BENAVIDEZ GETS DAVID MORRELL NEXT ON 175-POUND BOUT

David Benavidez will meet David Morrell in a high-stakes light heavyweight bout, Benavidez announced Tuesday on Instagram.

The 175-pound bout will headline a PBC pay-per-view card and is expected to take place Jan. 25 in Las Vegas, sources tell ESPN.

Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) was in talks to fight fringe contender Jesse Hart on Dec. 14 on the undercard of the Gervonta Davis-Lamont Roach title bout, according to sources, but he secured a far more compelling bout.

Benavidez has chased boxing's top star, Canelo Álvarez, for years. Álvarez hasn't shown any interest in such a matchup, so Benavidez made the jump from 168 to 175 pounds this summer with a decision win over Oleksandr Gvozdyk.

Benavidez, 27, who fights out of Miami, is a former two-time titleholder at 168 pounds. He's rated No. 3 at 175 pounds.

Now, Benavidez is prepared for the toughest test of his career. Cuba's Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) also made the move to light heavyweight this summer. He encountered the most-challenging fight of his career with a unanimous decision over Radivoje Kalajdzic in August.

Morrell, 26, is ESPN's No. 4 light heavyweight. ESPN's top two 175-pounders, Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, fight Saturday on ESPN+ for the undisputed light heavyweight championship.

The winner of Benavidez-Morrell will be positioned for a fight with the winner.

- Mike Coppinger, ESPN Boxing Insider

BENAVIDEZ SHOPS ANDRADE AFTER SIX ROUNDS, CALLS FOR FIGHT WITH SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMP CANELO R

AP Photo 

LAS VEGAS (AP) — David Benavidez retained the interim world super middleweight belt by stopping Demetrius Andrade after the sixth round Saturday night.

In what was billed as clash of styles that could go the distance between unbeaten 168-pounders, Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) looked more like a clinician with a dominating performance before Andrade’s corner requested the stoppage after the sixth round.

Andrade (32-1) suffered the first loss of his career.

Benavidez is widely recognized as the world’s best super middleweight after Canelo Alvarez. Immediately after his win he called for a match against Alvarez to unify the super middleweight title as an annouced gathering of 9,585 fans roared their approval.