Keyshawn Davis’s Vanishing Act: The Public Fallout and Perceived Shame Following His Weight Miss and Backstage Scandal

Keyshawn Davis has been invisible since the cancellation of his June 7th fight against Edwin De Los Santos on June 7th. Davis (13-0, 9 KOs) was stripped of his WBO lightweight title for coming in 4.3 lbs overweight for that fight.

Davis: Stripped, Shamed

Fans believe that Keyshawn has been hiding in shame ever since. Keyshawn has seemingly become a recluse. The backstage incident with Nahir Albright made things look even worse for Keyshawn.

It was an embarrassing situation for Keyshawn, as it was a homecoming fight for him in Norfolk, Virginia. The fans had shown up to see him. Instead, they watched his brother, Kelvin Davis, lose to his former opponent, Nahir Albright. His brother, Kelvin, got schooled badly by Nahir that night.

Keyshawn is now moving up to 140 in hopes of having an easier time making weight. That’s not a given that he’ll be able to make weight even for that division consistently. When he rehydrates, he looks as big as former welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis; hence, the reason why fans have labeled Keyshawn a ‘weight bully.’ He followed in the footsteps of Devin Haney, another fighter who was monstrously huge for the lightweight division when he was competing in that weight class.

140 Lbs: Last Chance?

Davis’ promoter, Bob Arum, had predicted recently that he would be “The Face of Boxing.” He had big hopes for Keyshawn. Now, his career will be starting over in a new weight class, and it might not be the same for him without the weight advantage and the soft matchmaking that he’s grown to depend on at lightweight.

Arum hasn’t mentioned who he wants Keyshawn to fight in his debut at 140, but these are good options for him:

– Ernesto Mercado
– Nahir Albright
– Alberto Puello
– Richardson Hitchins
– Lindolfo Delgado
– Liam Paro
– Oscar Duarte

Fighting Albright would allow Keyshawn to avenge his brother, Kelvin’s defeat, and to clear up the controversy over their fight in 2023. That was a fight that appeared to be a draw, but the judges gave Keyshawn a 10-round majority decision. I watched the fight and had Nahir winning 96-94. He outboxed Keyshawn just as badly as he did his brother, Kelvin. The judges went with the A-side fighter, Davis.