NEW YORK – The tornado path of destruction authored by Gervonta “Tank” Davis stunningly weakened inside Barclays Center Saturday night, when Lamont Roach Jnr weathered the storm and emerged with a majority draw.

“Nobody likes a draw. I feel if we fight again, I could do more,” Davis said at his post-fight news conference. 

“That was on me. I didn’t pick it up like I should have. I could have done more. Definitely could’ve done more. I’m getting back in the gym in a week. It’s me, definitely my fault.”

The unlikely outcome came on a night filled with uncharacteristic moments.

Davis, 30-0-1 (28 KOs), didn’t hurt Roach with his patented power punches. Instead, he was backed up by Roach’s blows and even appeared to take a knee after a body blow early in the ninth round.

Instead of ruling the event a knockdown, referee Steve Willis let WBA lightweight champion Davis retreat to his corner to wipe his face with a large white towel.

Davis explained afterward that he was suffering the sting of a hair chemical in his eye, one that co-trainer Calvin Ford labeled ‘ho juice,’ and needed to treat the pain.

“I wrapped water over it today, not enough,” Davis said.

By not ruling it a knockdown, Willis preserved valuable points for Davis that proved monumental during the final tally.

While Davis said afterward that he believed he closed the action well enough to win on the scorecards, only judge Eric Marlinski awarded him a 115-113 score. Veteran judges Steve Weisfeld and Glenn Feldman each scored the bout 114-114.

Feldman and Marlinski each scored the controversial ninth round a 10-9 round for Davis. If taking the knee had been ruled a knockdown, a 10-8 Roach round would’ve swayed the outcome in his favor and left him standing as both the WBA lightweight and super-featherweight champion.

“Honestly, I thought I should have won without that, but the rules state if you take a knee, that’s a knockdown,” Roach said. “If it was counted, I would’ve won the fight. He started counting. Did you see me tell [Willis] to ‘keep counting?’ He stopped. I don’t know why.”

As the fight proceeded into the championship rounds, Roach said the house favorite Davis told him, “You ain’t going to get the win, they ain’t going to give it to you.”

“As soon as I heard the 114 [score read], I knew, ‘I ain’t going to win,’” Roach said.

After absorbing blows that once staggered and another time jarred him, Davis told the former amateur foe with whom he grew up: “Good fight.”

“There was mutual respect for the skill levels. It takes a nut to get in there for 12 rounds,” Roach said.

“It was a close, skillful fight,” Davis co-trainer Barry Hunter said, pointing to the familiarity of the fighters and a “lack of focus” from Davis for the draw.

“We always knew Lamont Roach was not a cheap date.” 

Davis said he believed he did enough to maintain a pristine record.   

“I was hitting him with lots of shots and breaking him down,” Davis said of the late-going, when he swept the final four rounds on Weisfeld’s card and took two of the last three on Feldman and Marlinski’s ledgers. “Hopefully, we’ll run it back. Let’s do it again.”

The performance by Roach won over a record 19,250 crowd who packed the place to such an extent it was the second highest grossing event in Barclays Center history - second only to a Rolling Stones concert in 2012.

Victory was needed by the Baltimore slugger to set up an immense American showdown with fellow three-division and WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson.

Rather than that, Davis was left to explain the “grease” in his eye, the crowd’s jeering taking him by surprise as he removed the New York Yankees hat he had put on to display a kinship with the fans.

The crowd’s appreciation turned to Roach, who out-landed Davis in total punches, 112-103, and outjabbed him, 25-10.

“I thought I won, but we can run it back,” Roach said. “I did enough to win against a very skilled boxer. I’ve got the skills to pay the bills. I can’t wait to do it again.

“I knew I had what it takes. I know I have a chin, know I can take a punch. I ain’t going out like that. Once I took his best shot, I knew I’d be OK.”

After speaking before the bout of his need for an extended post-fight break, even suggesting retirement, Davis told his coaches he wants the rematch and spoke of getting back in the gym immediately.

“It’ll add fuel to the fire,” Davis said. “I’m getting back in the gym in a week. .. I’ve got at least four fights left in me.”

Davis tantalized by saying the rematch might not take place this year, adding he may fight someone else first.

Roach’s father-trainer, Lamont Roach Snr, told his son before the fight, “Go out there and be great.”

When it was over, he turned to his son and told him he was, “So proud, words can’t explain.”