1:10 AM ET
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Mike Coppinger ESPN
NEW YORK – Gervonta Davis did not let go, and Rolando Romero took advantage. He chased “Tank” Davis and even forced him to hold on sometimes after connecting with a couple of punches.
But, as always, Davis found a way with his devastating left hand, a counterattack that made Romero crash into the rope. “Rolly” overcame the count with unstable legs, and the referee stopped the fight, giving Davis another brutal victory by technical knockout on Saturday in a race full of them.
The final came with 21 seconds remaining in round 6 before 18,970 at a sold-out Barclays Center, which allowed Davis to retain his “regular” lightweight title in the AMB and perhaps move on to a big showdown. bets with Ryan Garcia, who was next to the ring.
Puncture statistics
Davis BlowsRomeroTotal Landed2522Total Launched84115Percentage30% 19% Jabs Landed53Jabs Launched2639Percent19% 8% Power Landed2019Power Thrown5876Percent35% 25% – Courtesy of CompuBox
“Sure it was strong, but it was a couple of shots that was warming me up and he grabbed me and I said, ‘I can’t sit with him yet,'” said Davis, who was ahead on two 49-yard cards. and 48-47, while Romero advanced to the other 48-47.
“I know when to take it to my opponents and when to relax. There was someone in the crowd… month.'”
Shortly after Davis left the ring on Saturday night, many fans trying to get out of the Barclays Center ran back to the arena floor, some even jumping into the ring in a panic.
A Barclays Center security supervisor told ESPN that there was a person with a gun in the main square outside that caused a stampede of fans returning to the arena. Several people were taken to a local hospital, the official said, estimating about a dozen injured. Among them: a concussion and an elbow injury.
A New York City police detective told ESPN they were investigating the possibility of a shooting. Tennis star Naomi Osaka, who had been next to the ring, tweeted: “Suddenly I heard screams and saw people running, then they called us an active shooter and we had to pile into a and close the doors. petrified. “
Security kept some fans in an area for a while while the situation was resolved. It was not immediately clear if he was directly involved in the boxing match.
Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) was ready to fight Romero in December, but Romero was withdrawn from the fight after being charged with sexual assault. Instead, Davis struggled to make a decision about Isaac Cruz, his first long-distance fight since 2014.
Meanwhile, no charges were filed against Romero, and the heated promotion that began in October was re-launched as the underdog tried to antagonize Davis. When the bell of the months of combat finally rang, Romero, known for his awkward, free-swing style, used a more focused and disciplined strategy.
He folded and tripled on the jab and kept the smaller Davis in line. On several occasions, especially in rounds 2, 3 and 5, Romero connected with punches that caught Davis’ attention. There was never any doubt that Romero could hit. But in his first legitimate test, the question was whether he could box round after round against one of the sport’s elite wrestlers and prove he can absorb a punch.
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“The crazy thing is, I didn’t even throw it that hard,” said Davis, who has also competed in 130 pounds and 140. “I just threw it. It bumped into it. Something like when [Manny] Pacquiao was trapped [Juan Manuel Marquez]. “
Romero (14-1, 12 KOs) admitted he was wrong when he “jumped on his shot,” but felt he controlled it differently. The 26-year-old from Las Vegas said Davis was injured on several occasions, most notably by a hard blow, and felt he won every round to the finish line.
“He grabbed me with a left hook,” Romero said. “I’m a warrior, I wanted to keep fighting … I won every moment of that fight. I exposed it and we have to run again … I ran it … The whole fight. He had a good shot. He had Fear of me. He will not fight with me again. “
A resumption, of course, is not an appetizing option. What it is: a Davis fight against the stature of Garcia, Devin Haney or George Kambosos, the undisputed lightweight champion who fights Haney next weekend.
“Golden Boy Won’t Put” Garcia Near Davis, said Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe, who promotes both Davis and Romero. “The closest he’s got to Gervonta Davis is where he was tonight. He doesn’t want to fight ‘Tank.’ It’s all talk. All talk.”
No matter who Davis fights with afterwards, there is no doubt about his attractive star. The Baltimore native pulls out the stars over and over and packs houses all over Atlanta from the US. The angels. And now Brooklyn. Madonna was next to the ring. So were Michael Strahan and Tracy Morgan.
Davis is clearly among the biggest stars in all of boxing. Now she just needs a high-level dance partner to reach the next level and get closer to her mentor, Floyd Mayweather.
Information from The Associated Press has been used in this report.