Keyshawn Davis came in 4.3 lbs over the 135-lb limit at 139.3 pounds at Friday’s weigh-in, resulting in his WBO lightweight title being stripped from him for his fight against Edwin De Los Santos this Saturday, June 7th. De Los Santos made weight at 134.7 lbs, and he’ll be eligible to capture the now vacant WBO title. The event is at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. It’ll be shown on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+. The main card starts at 10:00 p.m. ET.
Update: Keyshawn Davis’s fight against De Los Santos has been canceled due to Davis missing weight. The co-feature clash between Abdullah Mason and Jeremia Nakathilia has been moved to the main event. Kelvin Davis vs. Nahir Albright is the new co-feature bout.
Davis Misses Weight, Title Gone
Keyshawn (13-0, 9 KOs) declined to attempt to take off the remaining 4.3 lbs, saying that he’d already made an effort last night and this morning to get down to 135. He couldn’t do it. Davis says he “outgrew” the lightweight division and will be moving up to light welterweight next. He says he’d already planned on vacating his WBO title anyway, and this was going to be his last fight at 135.
Keyshawn Davis came in at 139 lbs—four pounds over the limit—and did not attempt to cut the excess weight. As a result, he’s officially been stripped of his title on the scales. For his part, De Los Santos weighed in successfully at 134.7 lbs.
As such, if De Los Santos fails to win this Saturday against Davis, the vacant WBO lightweight title will likely be fought over by #2 Abdullah Mason and #1 Sam Noakes. That’s if Mason wins his co-feature fight against Jeremia Nakathila at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.
Weights
- Keyshawn Davis: 139.3 vs. Edwin De Los Santos: 134.7
- Abdullah Mason: 134.5 vs. Jeremia Nakathilia: 134.8
- Kelvin Davis 140 vs. Nahir Albright 139
- Tiger Johnson 146.5 vs. Janelson Bocachica 146.8
- Troy Isley 159.9 vs. Etoundi Michel William 159.7
- Keon Davis 149.2 vs. Michael Velez 149.8
- Euri Cedeño 160 vs. Abel Mina 158.9
- Deric Davis 134.2 vs. Naheem Parker 136.3
- Patrick O’Connor 199 vs. Marcus Smith 190.6
For a fighter who missed weight by a wide margin, Keyshawn didn’t look drained or tired. That’s a red flag that he didn’t put in the work to take the weight off, knowing that this was his last fight at 135. We saw the same thing from his ‘brother,’ Shakur Stevenson, who missed weight in his final fight at super featherweight. When you know it’s your last fight in a division, fighters don’t put the same effort into making weight.
“A lot more motivation. I got a lot more better now,” said De Los Santos to Top Rank, reacting to Keyshawn Davis missing weight by 4.3 lbs at the weigh-in. “Two years off, 135. Oh my God.”
Keyshawn Outgrows Lightweight Division
“I’m not going to touch him,” said Keyshawn before the face-off with De Los Santos. “Nah, I outgrew weight. I’ve been making weight for four years now. I outgrew the weight. I tried. I was up late last night, trying to make the weight. I woke up this early, trying to make the weight. I just outgrew the weight,” said Davis when asked if he would attempt to lose the four lbs in an hour for a second weigh-in attempt.”
If he knew he had outgrown the division, Davis should have vacated his WBO lightweight title and moved up to 140, rather than signing the contract for this fight. Top Rank could have found someone from the light welterweight division for him to fight, like Gary Antuanne Russell, Richardson Hitchins, or Alberto Puello.
“I was feeling it last time when I was fighting Berinchyk. Thank God, I made it. I don’t know how I felt making it, but it is what it is. Yeah, for sure. That’s what ‘The Businessman,’ DB3 do. We’re going to put on a show,” said Keyshawn. “Hopefully, everything goes through as planned. I’m pretty sure he’ll still take the fight, and the show must go on.”
Things didn’t go as planned. Davis’s fight against De Los Santos has now been canceled, and he’s now off the card. Abdullah Mason is the headliner in his fight against Jeremia Nakathila.
“I was four pounds over. I didn’t reach the next weight class. So, the show is still going to go on for sure, but we got to handle business. Honestly, I was going up to 140 after this anyway. So, honestly, it was like, hey, whatever. It is what it is. Expect the same thing. ‘The Businessman’ is knocking people out, and De Los Santos, he’s next,” said Davis.
