Had Roach been credited with a knockdown when Davis' knee hit the canvas in the ninth round, he would have left Barclays Center on Saturday night with the WBA lightweight championship.

One of the judges scored the fight 115-113 in favor of Davis and two scored it 114-114. A one-point deduction presumably would have changed two judges’ scorecards to 114-113 in favor of Roach and the third judge 114-113 for Davis – creating a split-decision victory for Roach.

Gervonta "Tank" Davis escaped with a majority draw against Lamont Roach Jr. to retain his WBA lightweight title. Davis -- who is recognized as the face of boxing alongside Canelo Alvarez-- nearly relinquished the belt in a tougher-than-expected fight with an opponent he was expected to beat.