{"id":172031,"date":"2025-06-10T04:29:09","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T04:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/172031\/"},"modified":"2025-06-10T04:29:09","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T04:29:09","slug":"keyshawn-davis-destructive-behavior-costs-much-more-than-his-world-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/172031\/","title":{"rendered":"Keyshawn Davis\u2019 Destructive Behavior Costs Much More Than His World Title"},"content":{"rendered":"

Keyshawn Davis<\/a> didn\u2019t seem, at least publicly, to grasp the damage done to his career Friday.
The former WBO lightweight champion smiled, posed and spoke as if the show would go on, despite the fact that he was 4.3 pounds overweight<\/a>. “The Businessman” believed, maybe understandably, that Edwin De Los Santos simply would\u2019ve fought him anyway Saturday night.
Davis, after all, moved forward with his fight against an opponent, Gustavo Lemos, who was 6.4 pounds above the contracted maximum for their lightweight fight the last time he headlined in his hometown. De Los Santos\u2019 promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, surprised plenty of people, most of all Davis, by pulling the Dominican southpaw out of what would\u2019ve been his first fight in 18 months<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lewkowicz suspected Davis didn\u2019t really try at a certain point to get down to the lightweight limit of 135 pounds. That Davis didn\u2019t tell anyone involved in the promotion that he was way overweight until they arrived at the weigh-in Friday rubbed Lewkowicz the wrong way and made him prioritize De Los Santos\u2019 safety over the extra money he would\u2019ve received.<\/p>\n

The cancelation cost Davis, 26, more than $1 million in what he would\u2019ve earned from his purse and a portion of ticket sales.<\/p>\n

A crowd of more than 10,000 was set to pack Scope Arena in downtown Norfolk for the second time since Nov. 8. Davis (13-0, 9 KOs, 1 NC) entered fight week as a world champion in a division full of intriguing fights, an established entertainer in how he fights and promotes, and was one of the sport\u2019s few proven ticket-sellers among American boxers.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Davis\u2019 career couldn\u2019t have trended in a more positive direction.<\/p>\n

His destructive approach to making weight suddenly stripped him of his title, a seven-figure payday, another main event in his hometown and all the momentum he had built by destroying Lemos and former WBO lightweight champ Denys Berinchyk<\/a> in back-to-back bouts. Frustrated fans condemned the 2021 Olympic silver medalist for not showing more remorse, though Davis was apologetic behind the scenes.
Undeterred, Davis inexplicably managed to make matters worse late Saturday night by confronting rival Nahir Albright in his locker room<\/a>, after he’d beaten older brother<\/a> Kelvin Davis by majority decision in their 10-round junior welterweight fight.
Albright told a group of reporters after their altercation that Keyshawn \u201chead-butted\u201d him, causing a noticeable bump on the right side of his forehead. Albright, who lost a majority decision to Keyshawn in October 2023, also said he and his team would consider taking legal action against Davis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If the Virginia Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts and Professional Wrestling Commission cares at all about requiring professionalism at its events, it will at least fine and\/or suspend Davis for his actions, particularly for Saturday night. While fighters outgrow weight classes sometimes, the incident in Albright\u2019s locker room is inexcusable and led to another altercation in the hallway that could\u2019ve caused injuries to innocent bystanders.<\/p>\n

With everything he had going for him, you\u2019d think a fighter nicknamed “The Businessman” would know better.<\/p>\n

Abdullah Mason\u2019s Admirable MaturityThe way Abdullah Mason<\/a> behaves never stood out more than it did during the catastrophic 36 hours Keyshawn Davis experienced Friday and Saturday in his hometown of Norfolk.
Amid all the controversy, the respectful Mason, mature beyond his 21 years, continued to conduct himself professionally in and out of the ring. He happily accepted a move to the main event once Davis-De Los Santos was canceled, dealt with the faded Jeremia Nakathila accordingly<\/a> by beating up the Namibian power puncher and effectively delivered messages to potential opponents before and after he fought without being hyperbolic.
Heavy-handed Brit Sam Noakes would be a step up in opposition for Mason, but everything he has demonstrated since he got dropped twice in the first round by Yohan Vasquez seven months ago<\/a> indicates the precocious contender is ready for that type of fight.
The WBO is expected to order Noakes (17-0, 15 KOs), its No. 1-ranked contender, and the second-ranked Mason (19-0, 17 KOs) to fight next for its lightweight title Davis<\/a> vacated by coming in overweight.<\/p>\n

Loma Left Us Wanting MoreVasiliy Lomachenko<\/a> will very likely be a first-ballot Hall-of-Fame inductee when he becomes eligible because he has maintained the respect of voters.<\/p>\n

The Ukrainian southpaw won two Olympic gold medals and world titles in three divisions. The masterful technician captivated factions of fans as well because he displayed such a high ring IQ and almost flawless footwork and delivered and avoided punches in ways most contemporaries could not.<\/p>\n

The announcement of his retirement Thursday<\/a> nevertheless left one feeling like his pro career was somewhat incomplete.<\/p>\n

Lomachenko boxed only 21 times in 11 years as a pro. He outboxed another highly skilled southpaw, Gary Russell Jr., in just his third professional fight, yet Lomachenko later lost two 12-round lightweight title fights against elite-level opponents in Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney.<\/p>\n

Both of those fights were very competitive and Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) was considered a small lightweight. Still, two of his most noteworthy wins were produced against a fighter who had already been knocked out three times (Jorge Linares) and a fellow two-time Olympic gold medalist who had no business boxing Lomachenko in the junior featherweight division (Guillermo Rigondeaux).<\/p>\n

We also didn\u2019t get to see him face several appealing opponents, though that often wasn\u2019t Lomachenko\u2019s fault, especially as it relates to Gervonta Davis. A rematch with Orlando Salido, who edged Lomachenko by split decision in his second pro bout, never came to fruition, either.<\/p>\n

The Final BellFights like his easy fifth-round knockout of overmatched Italian Claudio Squeo<\/a> on Sunday do little more than pad Jai Opetaia\u2019s perfect record (28-0, 22 KOs). The Australian southpaw appears to be the class of the cruiserweight division, yet the time is overdue to see The Ring<\/a> and IBF champion at least somewhat tested. Promoter Eddie Hearn should try to entice the winner between WBA\/WBO champ Gilberto Ramirez (47-1, 30 KOs) and former WBA champ Yuniel Dorticos (27-2, 25 KOs) on June 26 in Anaheim, California<\/a>, to oppose Opetaia next. Squeo (17-1, 9 KOs) entered the ring unbeaten, but eight of his opponents had losing records and none was a legitimate contender. \u2026 Fabio Wardley is flawed, but the right hand the huge Englishman delivered in the 10th round to knock out Justis Huni<\/a> encapsulated why he has become so popular among Brits. Wardley (19-0-1, 18 KOs) was down big on all three scorecards \u2014 89-82 twice and 88-83 \u2014 when his perfectly executed right annihilated Australia\u2019s Huni<\/a> (12-1, 7 KOs). He knocked him flat on his back and left him unable to continue just after the halfway point of the 10th round at packed Portman Road, a soccer stadium in Wardley\u2019s hometown of Ipswich. \u2026 Keyshawn Davis sold out Scope Arena for the second time in just about seven months before Friday night. Approximately 10,740 tickets were purchased for a card that he was supposed to headline against De Los Santos. About 2,400 customers received refunds offered by promoter Top Rank once Davis-De Los Santos was canceled because Davis came in above the contracted limit of 135 for their 12-round title fight.<\/p>\n

Keith Idec is a senior writer and columnist for The Ring. He can be reached on X @idecboxing<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Keyshawn Davis didn\u2019t seem, at least publicly, to grasp the damage done to his career Friday.The former WBO…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":172032,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4108],"tags":[1935,10188,10181,10187,10186,10179,4496,10182,10183,10184,10185,10180,10193,10192,10175,10173,10174,10190,10176,10172,10194,10189,79,10191,10171,10178,16,15,10177],"class_list":{"0":"post-172031","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-boxing","8":"tag-boxing","9":"tag-boxing-community","10":"tag-boxing-fights","11":"tag-boxing-history","12":"tag-boxing-interviews","13":"tag-boxing-magazine","14":"tag-boxing-news","15":"tag-boxing-photos","16":"tag-boxing-rankings","17":"tag-boxing-results","18":"tag-boxing-schedule","19":"tag-boxing-videos","20":"tag-disqualification","21":"tag-draw","22":"tag-fight","23":"tag-fighter","24":"tag-fighter-news","25":"tag-knockout","26":"tag-latest-boxing-matches","27":"tag-ring","28":"tag-ring-magazine","29":"tag-split-decision","30":"tag-sports","31":"tag-technical-knockout","32":"tag-the-ring","33":"tag-top-fighters","34":"tag-uk","35":"tag-united-kingdom","36":"tag-upcoming-boxing-matches"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114657189326997166","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=172031"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172031\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/172032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=172031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=172031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=172031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}