Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather was at the center of a similar storm to his former protege, Gervonta Davis, as he defended his WBC super featherweight title.
Back in 2001, against Carlos Hernandez at Van Andel Arena in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Mayweather took a knee.
A knockdown was called as Mayweather hurt his left hand in one of his most outrageous moments. Had the same happened to Davis, ‘Tank’ would have lost his fight to Lamont Roach.
Luckily for Mayweather, he had the considerable skills to keep Hernandez at bay after the sixth-round incident. ‘Money’ won handily 119-109, 117-109, and 116-111 on the scorecards.
When discussing the David controversy, current Pound for Pound star Terence Crawford pointed boxing fans to watch the video of Mayweather vs Hernandez.
“Some of you all need to watch Mayweather vs Hernandez and see Mayweather take a knee because he hurt his hand. It was called a knockdown and not from a punch either,” said the future super middleweight contender.
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— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) March 2, 2025
Davis attempted to explain why he took a knee in the fight, which wasn’t called, as he clung to a draw. Boxing history will show he remains undefeated, but the consensus with fans is that he lost after that wild moment mimicked the Floyd Mayweather knockdown.
“I just got my hair done two days ago, and she put grease in my s***. So, the grease, when you sweat, it was coming into my face,” said Davis. “I think I pulled it out in the last three rounds for sure. I was catching him with some clean shots.
“But I feel I was breaking him down as the rounds were going on, but he kept coming, so I didn’t want to make mistakes, and I kept it cautious.”
In a shock retort, the hairdresser who gave Davis a fresh cut issued a denial, leaving the boxer with more egg on his face.
Reports of a Davis vs. Roach rematch were progressing well until a recent setback, as the fighters continue to push for a return. After being tipped for a knockout defeat, it seems as though Roach is more keen than Davis.
Las Vegas, Nevada, is the favored venue over New York City, but whether Davis takes an interim fight remains to be seen.
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Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, an experienced boxing writer and World Boxing News Editor since 2010.
