The WBA are poised to order a Gervonta Davis vs Lamont Roach rematch after their controversial clash on Saturday night.
Roach, who opened up as a massive underdog, held Davis to a majority draw at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Davis retained his WBA lightweight belt after referee Steve Willis arguably saved him from defeat by wrongfully denying Roach a knockdown in the ninth stanza.
Midway through the round, Davis went down on one knee after eating a grazing jab and then made his way over to his corner to get his face wiped.
‘Tank’ later claimed that the grease in his eyes had compromised his vision, leading to him touching down.
Under the unified rules of boxing, when a combatant’s knee touches the canvas following a punch, a count should be administered.
This was the case when Floyd Mayweather took a knee after injuring his hand against Carlos Hernandez in 2001.
However, Willis broke off his count and let the action resume in a contentious decision that cost Roach the fight.
One judge scored the bout 115-113 in Davis’ favour while the other two had it 114-114 even – meaning Roach would have got his hand raised if the knockdown had counted.
The controversial moment led to calls for a rematch, although Davis told assembled media at his post-fight press conference that their sequel is unlikely to happen next.
He may, however, be forced to run it back with Roach if he hopes to keep hold of his WBA lightweight title.
WBA president Gilberto Mendoza is considering taking the rematch to a vote with the Championship committee.
“I think it’s not going to be [a] doubt about having a rematch on this,” WBA president Gilberto Mendoza told The Ring.
“[I] think this supersedes the public perception of boxing involved here with a huge star for the sport, and we need to send a strong message out there. It was a very controversial night.
“Maybe [Willis] saw a competitive fight. Maybe he saw it wasn’t a punch, but how can you understand how he put the knee on the canvas?”
If the WBA order the fight and ‘Tank’ refuses to face Roach then they will have grounds to strip him.
Davis told reporters that he was planning to call someone else post-fight but the draw has thrown a spanner in the works.
There is a rematch clause signed into the Davis vs Roach contract so making a second fight would be easily made.
