In a historic first, back in 2001, Floyd Mayweather Jr. touched the mat with his gloves. Twenty-four years later, Gervonta Davis followed suit. Only that Mayweather’s former protégé and now bête noire took a voluntary knee. They say history repeats itself. Probably true, but was the outcome similar? Not so. Terence Crawford joined many who felt compelled to draw an analogy, given what transpired at the Barclays Center last weekend. For as much as fans enjoyed a string of outstanding cards in the year’s first quarter, disappointment pervaded as the PBC-Amazon Prime event in New York concluded.

Facing a formidable opponent in Lamont Roach Jr., Gervonta Davis surprised everyone by taking a knee in the ninth round. The reason he gave – a hair product dripping into his eye. Referee Steve Willis‘ purported inaction has many foaming at the mouth. It was nothing short of a knockdown. Had it been awarded, instead of settling with an ignominious draw, Roach Jr. would have won the fight. Per the latest reports, the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) is reviewing the fight. The incident had a few tracking down past instances where voluntary touchdown invited immediate knockdown. Terence Crawford found one.

Terence Crawford explores past examples

“Some of yall need to watch Mayweather vs. Hernandez and see Mayweather take a knee because he hurt his hand and it was called a knockdown and not from a punch either,” said the first two undisputed divisions among men. In 1998, two years after he turned professional, Mayweather Jr. defeated Gennaro Hernandez and became the WBC super featherweight champion, his first world title. Before he moved to 135 pounds, Mayweather defended the title eight times.

He faced Carlos Hernandez a few months after the classic encounter with the late Diego Corrales. It was his second fight at his hometown, Grand Rapids. The bout ended in a unanimous victory for Mayweather. What makes the clash so special is that for the first time, the boxing great suffered a knockdown.

Finding himself in a slugfest with the tough Salvadoran-American fighter, things took a dramatic turn in the sixth round. Mayweather threw a left hook. But immediately, pain seared through his left hand. It was so bad that he instinctively dropped his hand down to the canvas. Hernández didn’t punch him to the ground. But the referee still counted it as a knockdown and gave Mayweather a standing eight-count.

According to boxing rules, if any part of a fighter’s body (other than their feet) touches the ground, it can be considered a knockdown.

A fight teetering on the edge

On their part, the WBA defended referee Steve Willis’ actions. In a statement, they said, “From our perspective, Willis’ decision was not unreasonable or unjustifiable. He ruled in real-time that Davis had not been struck by a punch before going down, and therefore, no knockdown should be recorded.”

Fans will have to wait and see what the New York State Athletic Commission decrees. Roach Jr. remains hopeful. There’s a strong chance Davis’ record could become 30-1-0 from the current 30-0-1. Whether boxing history is created – not inside, but outside the ring, in a boardroom.

Do you agree with Terence Crawford’s argument?