Arum Tells Tank Davis To Fix His Career – ‘Start Taking Boxing Seriously’
Bob Arum has advised Gervonta Davis to focus on his boxing seriously following his controversial majority draw against Lamont Roach Jr.
Davis secured a majority draw after the referee failed to rule a knockdown in favor of Roach in round nine. Davis took a knee before he went to his corner to wipe some grease off his face. The referee should have had it as a 10-8 round for Roach, which would have given him a victory on the scorecards. Roach’s team appealed the decision. However, the New York State Athletic Commission upheld the original ruling, as Davis remained undefeated.
Davis Vs. Roach
“The bout continued for more than three full rounds after the referee’s no knockdown call, and because the boxers necessarily adjusted to the referee’s ruling, the referee’s call was not outcome-determinative. Following an extensive after-the-fact review of the footage of the ninth round, that the most appropriate call.
“It would have been for the referee to determine that Mr. Davis’ knee contacting the canvas constituted a knockdown. However, the determination of whether a knockdown occurred in that instance was within the discretion and authority of the referee. Such conjecture would be misplaced, and setting such a precedent is not viewed by the commission as guaranteeing a correct outcome retroactively or as in keeping with the best interest of boxing,” NYSAC stated
There is a high chance that they will run things back in their next fight. However, it has derailed Tank’s plans before the Roach fight. He said he would retire this year with a view to boxing three more times. This created the narrative that he would be facing some of the biggest names before he leaves the sport. However, the draw against Roach has suggested that he may have overlooked his man. Davis has already secured his financial future from the sport, having earned a staggering $50 million for his fight against Ryan Garcia.
He has also been accused of not facing the big names in the sport. Despite consistent links with the likes of David Haney, Shakur Stevenson, Teofimo Lopez and Vasiliy Lomachenko, Davis has failed to face a big name. Davis’ trainer, Calvin Ford, made it clear that Tank’s desire to enter the sport was to become a PPV star. He has already managed to do this, having done big numbers.
Arum On Davis
The fight against Ryan Garcia was an example of that, as it sold over 1.2 million PPVs. However, the introduction of the Saudis into boxing has increased the demand for fans to see the biggest fights. That is why Davis could come up short moving forward, as fans may no longer accept lower-ranked opposition when the big names are on the table. Arum felt that Roach had won this fight, as he told Davis to take a hard look at himself.
“I thought Roach won the fight. It was a close fight. I think Davis has to start taking boxing seriously. It’s not just a media kind of thing. He seems kind of ordinary. I don’t know if he’s capable of changing. I wanted to get a good look at him because he’s been mentioned as a possible opponent for fighters that I promote,” Arum said
Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.
