Even as the year draws to a close, the ghosts of the March 1 title fight between Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach Jr. refuse to fade. It is one of the most controversial bouts of 2025. The clash at Barclays Center resurfaced when Terence Crawford joined Kick streamer Adin Ross for an interview.

Many observers, including Terence Crawford, found the final moments of the bout utterly distasteful and believe stringent action should have been taken against “Tank” Davis for his disorderly conduct. In the ninth round, the Tank caught everyone by surprise when he took a knee. What was even more shocking was the fact that the referee let it slide. It should have been ruled a knockout in favor of Roach Jr., but instead, the bout was ultimately declared a majority draw. Although Gervonta Davis later offered explanations for his move, the decision left a sour taste. Had the referee made the correct call, the outcome could have been different.

Terence Crawford weighs in on Gervonta Davis’ controversial knee

Thoughts emerged during a recent episode of Adin Live. While discussing how referees make in-ring decisions, Ross sought Crawford’s opinion on the Tank-Roach fight. Before Ross could even finish his question, Crawford interjected, “1,000% that was a knockdown.”

The Kick streamer then asked why the referee failed to call it a knockdown when Tank took a voluntary knee. Like many others, Crawford found it puzzling. Why didn’t referee Steve Willis rule it a knockdown? Had it been his call, Crawford said, it would have been a clear case for disqualification.

“It still should have been a disqualification, too, cuz you can’t go in no corner and then have your coach come up in the middle of the fight,” he said. In boxing, it is illegal to step aside during a fight, retreat to one’s corner, and seek assistance from the team, even to have something wiped from one’s eyes, Crawford concluded.

Terence Crawford called out Davis and the referee right after Davis took the knee.

Terrance Crawford claims Lamont Roach Jr. should have won the bout

Immediately after the Tank-Roach fight, Crawford made his stance clear through a series of social media posts. “Roach won, and that should have been called a knockdown,” he tweeted before the officials announced the result. When the decision came in, he labeled it a “robbery.”

“I never seen someone take a knee, and they don’t count it as a knockdown. Must have forgotten the rules for tonight,” he added.

More significantly, he cited a historical precedent. In 2001, a young Floyd Mayweather defended his super featherweight title against Carlos Hernandez. He won the fight unanimously, but most remember it for the way he suffered the first knockdown of his career. While throwing a hook, Mayweather injured his left hand and dropped it to the canvas. Like Davis, he was not struck by his opponent when he went down. However, unlike Davis, he received a standing count under boxing’s knockdown rules.

As the year winds down, Gervonta Davis remains a cautionary case. While stardom may work in one’s favor at times, in the end, it can hurt in far more ways than one might imagine.