Unite, defenders of the legacy! “Rolly, he can hit, bro,” said Gervonta Davis, a day before the now-controversy-laden Lamont Roach fight. His former stablemate and opponent returned the favor. He had an ‘off night,’ claimed Rolando Romero when asked about ‘Tank’ Davis’ performance on Saturday night. To most, it wasn’t the world champion they were used to seeing so often. One who demolished the likes of Frank Martin and Ryan Garcia.

If only the subpar performance was the only issue. By taking a knee in the ninth round and escaping a mandatory count, Davis earned near-universal disapproval. The match ended in a disputable draw and is now under review with the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC). But was it really a night when Davis didn’t bring his A-game? Lamont Roach Jr., for one, disagrees.

Rolando Romero on Gervonta Davis: He just wasn’t at his best, that’s all!

On May 2, in a first of sorts, Rolando Romero will join Ryan Garcia to headline Riyadh Season’s ‘Fatal Fury’ at Times Square in New York. For Romero, who suffered a devastating loss to Isaac Cruz last year, it’s a significant comeback. After the press conference at the ‘Big Apple,’ Romero interacted with a bunch of reporters. One of them highlighted Gervonta Davis’s recent compliments about Romero’s punching power. Accepting it happily, Romero remarked, “I don’t think anyone’s surprised by that.” Despite attempts to ‘discredit’ Tank, Romero felt that the lightweight champion remained a pound-for-pound fighter.

“What do you think about that fight that happened? You thought it was just an off night or…?” a reporter asked. “Everybody has an off night. Everybody has an off night. Sh*t, I had a f**king off night with f**king Cruz. Everyone has a f**king off night. It’s f**king boxing,” Rolando Romero shot back.

The former champion nevertheless sounded apprehensive when asked about a rematch with Isaac Cruz.

Lamont Roach Jr.: You can’t just brush aside what I did in there!

But Lamont Roach Jr. appears free from any doubts. “Y’all tweakin if yall think Buddy was off or some shit or had an off night,” said the super featherweight champion in a post. To him, the fight felt different because ‘he’ was in there with Gervonta Davis. He made it tough for him – not that Davis was underperforming.

He clarified that just because he and many others believe he won the fight, it doesn’t mean he’s saying it was ‘easy work.’ Basically, he pushed back against the idea of discrediting Davis. Lastly, Roach Jr. argued that his knockdown should have been enough to earn him a unanimous victory. “The knockdown gives me a UD,” said ‘The Reaper.’

That seems to be the dominant mood. Many felt had referee Steve Willis initiated the mandatory count for what was a visible knockdown, Roach Jr. would have created history, becoming the first fighter to defeat the dreaded ‘Tank.’

The case now rests with the NYSAC. Even if they overrule the earlier decision, is it too early to write an epitaph for Gervonta Davis’ career? The Baltimorean may still have loads of exciting fights to offer. Perhaps what Rolando Romero stated could be true – it was just an ‘off night.’

If it’s an aberration for Davis, are we all degrading Roach Jr.’s performance? Let us know your thoughts.