“There’s No Money”: Dana White Rips Into PBC for Mishandling Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach Jr. Amid Knockdown Controversy

UFC honcho Dana White is not only infiltrating the sport of boxing with the new boxing league backed by The Ring and Saudi, but he also seems to have strong opinions about an existing behemoth of the sport—Premier Boxing Champions (PBC). White’s comments came on the heels of the highly controversial Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach Jr. fight earlier this month.

As everyone and their grandmothers know by now, the Baltimore native suffered his first career draw against ‘The Reaper’ in New York. Many believed Roach Jr. had done enough to get his hand raised after the final bell, but was slapped with a majority decision draw. However, that’s not the main reason, the fight is mired in controversy. After all, iffy decisions are made every now and again.

The real crux of the issue is the no-knockdown call in the ninth round of the fight when Davis dropped to his knee and ran to his corner to get his face wiped. Instead of scoring the move a knockdown, referee Steve Willis let the fight continue as if nothing had happened. A few days later, the New York State Athletic Commission claimed they could not review the incident during the fight due to “technical issues.”

This is what White seems to have a problem with. While appearing in the Fight Freaks Unite podcast with seasoned boxing journalist Dan Rafael recently—the pair were discussing the PBC-promoted fight. “Apparently, they didn’t even do replays…,” White remarked, mocking PBC’s handling of the event. Rafael tried to defend the promotion, claiming that’s a different story, but White wasn’t done. 

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 01: Gervonta Davis punches Lamont Roach Jr. during their bout for Davis’ WBA lightweight title at Barclays Center on March 01, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

“It’s part of the story… [In UFC] what happens is when something happens—eye poke, low blow—the f**king replay plays during the fight, while the fight’s still happening we do the replay,” White said, boasting about how things are done in his neck of the woods. Rafael then tried to explain “They had the replay, but they were not able to transmit in time. It’s a different matter.”

But White wasn’t about to let go. “No, it’s not. It’s part of the same f**king problem,” he said. “There’s no money going into the production, the way that it should be. Our production is second to none.” When asked whether TKO’s boxing league will have the sort of production value White is boasting about, the UFC CEO answered, “100%.”

By the way, the NYSAC investigated the no-knockdown incident and decided to uphold the decision anyway despite Roach Jr. urging them to overturn the decision. Regardless, this isn’t the first time White has taken shots at the production value of Davis vs. Roach Jr. 

Dana White reveals what his son told him about Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach Jr. 

Dana White didn’t hold back when discussing the issues plaguing boxing, using the recent Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach Jr. event as an example. Speaking on ESPN’s First Take, White revealed what his son told him about the fight night. “My son just went to that show this weekend. He said the live event was terrible and disorganized.”

UFC Fight Pass Presents – Walsh vs Runowski Weigh-In, 3Arena, Dublin 19/9/2024 UFC CEO and President Dana White Dana White 19/9/2024 PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUKxIRLxFRAxNZL Copyright: x INPHO/LaszloxGeczox LG_002573

White emphasized that TKO Boxing will change how events are run, criticizing the slow pace of traditional boxing broadcasts. “The run of show will run faster, and it won’t take nine hours to see four fights. These guys put on a fight, and then have a podcast, and then put on another fight, and have a podcast.”

With TKO Boxing, White aims to streamline the experience, making fights more exciting and efficient, just like the UFC. “The show will run like UFC does. Fight after fight after fight.”

It appears Dana White is not willing to miss any opportunity to criticize how the business of boxing is done traditionally. It’s clear he has his own agenda behind his claims, but it would be interesting to see how TKO Boxing does after such claims of glory from White. Do you agree with White? 

The post “There’s No Money”: Dana White Rips Into PBC for Mishandling Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach Jr. Amid Knockdown Controversy appeared first on EssentiallySports.