The homecoming that was meant to crown Keyshawn Davis as Norfolk’s newest champion devolved into “The Nightmare in Norfolk” when the 25-year-old lightweight blew weight by more than four pounds, forfeiting his WBO title before a punch was thrown. The scale fiasco stunned promoter, opponent and hometown fans alike; it also stripped Davis of both the belt and his head-liner purse when no settlement with challenger Edwin De Los Santos could be reached.
The mis-step spiraled quickly. Moments after brother Kelvin Davis dropped a decision to Nahir Albright, Keyshawn confronted Albright in a heated ringside altercation that required security intervention—an ugly epilogue to a night already soaked in disappointment. ProBoxTV analyst Chris Algieri labeled the sequence “a lack of professionality, emotional spiraling,” while Paulie Malignaggi called it “a can’t-miss moment that he missed.”
More damning than the numbers on the scale was Davis’ admission that he had outgrown 135 lbs yet failed to warn promoter or opponent. “Missing by a mile shows you don’t care,” Algieri noted, arguing the psychological weight of the new belt proved heavier than any physical cut. Davis’ mis-fire also lit a path for 21-year-old Abdullah Mason, who stepped into the main event, dazzled, and now stands first in line to fight for the suddenly vacant strap.
Davis departs the lightweight scene - still stacked with newly elevated IBF champion Raymond Muratalla and fast-rising Andy Cruz - under a cloud of squandered momentum, bound for 140 lbs without a belt and with a bruised reputation to mend. Whether the Olympic silver-medalist can convert this lesson into renewed focus or remains defined by Norfolk’s debacle will determine if “The Businessman” truly belongs among boxing’s elite.
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Image Credit: Sky Sports