Latest news with #EdwinDeLosSantos
Yahoo
07-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Keyshawn Davis stepping away from boxing for a year to 'get myself together' after controversies
Keyshawn Davis was supposed to make the first defense of his WBO lightweight title against Edwin De Los Santos on June 7 in Norfolk, Virginia, but then Davis missed weight by an astonishing 4.3 pounds at the official weigh-in and was thus stripped of his belt. It was a nightmare scenario for "The Businessman," a rising star in American boxing who had sold 9,000 tickets for his hometown headliner. "[I was] undisciplined for sure. Not being true to myself as well," Davis told Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show" on Wednesday in his first public interview since that disastrous week. "[I knew it was] probably time to move up [in weight] and [knew] how my body [felt]. [I was] just trying to sacrifice because I had another homecoming fight and I wanted to defend my title in my hometown. I just took a sacrifice to try to make the weight again, and it just didn't turn out that way." "During the [Denys] Berinchyk fight [in February], I told my team, 'This is my last time doing this.' But after you win, [you're] a world champ now, so there's a lot of opportunities and all that stuff. They're like, 'Just defend it one time, you're going back home.' They [made] it sound real good, so I'm like, 'OK, I'll do it. I'm staying active, I don't shoot up in weight, so I should be [good].' I guess that was the wrong call." "During fight week, I'm like, 'Damn, this weight is not coming off like it usually does,'" he added. "The day of the weigh-in, I'm trying to sit in the bath and all that stuff — the weight literally just was not coming out. I'm skinny as hell, dehydrated and stuff. So I'm just like, 'Man, it is what it is. [I] just can't get it off.'" Despite Davis missing weight and being stripped of his belt, negotiations ensued between Davis and De Los Santos' camps to reach a deal to allow their headlining bout to continue under a new agreement. It's common for main-event fights in boxing to still proceed forward after one fighter misses weight because tickets have already been sold, a promoter has an obligation to deliver for their network, and — most importantly — fighters generally don't get paid their full purse unless they fight. De Los Santos wanted to proceed with the fight, however his promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, ultimately canceled the bout. Lewkowicz, who has been a promoter for three decades, said that from observing Davis dancing before he stepped on the scales, he realized that the now-former champion had never intended to compete at the lightweight limit from the beginning. Lewkowicz, therefore, chose not to let De Los Santos fight Davis, as he believed it would be too unsafe for De Los Santos to do so under a massive size disadvantage. Lewkowicz also drew comparisons to the Ryan Garcia vs. Devin Haney situation of 2024, where Garcia seemingly chugged a beer bottle after missing weight by a huge margin. Haney went through with the fight and took severe punishment on the night, after which Garcia tested positive for a banned substance and was suspended. "I fought myself for it," Davis said. "But I was super cocky, arrogant, thinking that he's just going to take the fight anyway because I [boxed someone that significantly missed weight at] one point in time with the [Gustavo] Lemos fight, and then just thinking that it's a big event, there's no way that he cannot fight. He's a fighter. All that's going through my head during that moment, so I'm just thinking that he'll take it. I didn't come overweight on purpose, that's not what champions do. That's not what I do. "[So] when I got that call [telling me the fight was off], I talked to them, of course, and then I hung up — and you can just feel my energy switch. [My family] are all looking at me [and] I'm like, 'Yeah, it ain't going to happen.' They [were] just like, 'F***.' "After I got that phone call that he wasn't going to take the fight, something in me was just like, 'Keyshawn, you've got to f***ing change, bro. You've got to do better, you've got to be better.' Something in me was just like — boom, everything hit me. All my wrongs [and] everything that I thought that was right, that I could've [done] better." While the moment should've led to reflection and a changed attitude for Davis, unfortunately for him, there was yet more negativity left to come out of what had fast become a horror week. The 2020 U.S. Olympic silver medalist attended the reshuffled June 7 event as a spectator instead to support his two brothers, Kelvin and Keon Davis, who competed on the undercard. The night didn't get off to a positive start for him, as ESPN cameras zoomed in on Davis' arrival, recording his nonchalant attitude as he devoured popcorn. Davis received significant criticism that night for what was portrayed as a carefree attitude on the ESPN broadcast for the fight. He had missed weight, lost his world title, let down his home fans, and apparently didn't seem bothered — or so the narrative was made out. "Coming from where I come from, I learned to build a barrier where I'd never let [anything affect me]," Davis said. "After the Olympics, when I lost [for the gold medal], I learned how to put up a barrier where people can never see me hurt, where people can never see me down. After I lost in the Olympics, that was the most hurt I ever was in the public eye, and I didn't even show it. You ain't seen not one nothing. So I learned how to build that s*** up — and it backfired on me. When I was hearing people say, 'He doesn't really care.' I'm like, 'Damn, why [are] people saying that?' Because before I came to the scale, people [didn't] know what I was doing [was crying]. People don't know how I was really feeling inside." Davis watched later in the night as his former opponent, Nahir Albright, upset his brother, Kelvin, in the chief support bout. Davis then decided to visit Albright's locker room alongside his other brother, Keon. When ESPN cameras went to Albright's locker room, Albright told them that he was "jumped" and "head-butted" by the Davis brothers, and showed the cameras a significant lump on his forehead, which was not visible immediately after his fight. "Everything that he's talking about that happened in the locker room is not true," Davis insisted. "He took that moment [of me being in his locker room] and ran with it and used that s*** for what he used it for. Everything just got blown out of proportion. "I walked in there, just not trying to fight this dude. I'm not trying to start no altercation. First of all, his locker room was right next to ours. It wasn't like I had to skip across town to find him. He was right there. I was going to say a few words. It wasn't going to be [anything] crazy because the fight is over with. For him to say that I put my hands on him, and me and my brother [head-butted] him and all that s*** — I was like, 'What?' I was shocked for real. At the end of the day, I shouldn't have walked in his locker room anyway, so he just [took] that s*** and [ran] with it." Following the incident in De Los Santos' changing room, Davis was involved in yet another altercation, as a brawl unfolded backstage while the main event was unfolding. ESPN cameras showed Davis and his infant son in the midst of the chaos as punches and objects were seen being thrown in the footage. Davis was escorted out of the Scope Arena by police following the second incident of the night. "The Businessman" confirmed to Uncrowned that he is currently under investigation by the state of Virginia for both altercations. Davis, who has struggled with mental health in the past, said he isn't in a rush to return to the ring and is hoping to "get myself together" before focusing on boxing again. The 26-year-old described how he needs a break from boxing as he has been focusing on the sport "nonstop" since the Olympics in 2021. Davis hasn't done any boxing training in two months and isn't expecting to fight again for another year. "I could've [said], 'I'm going through stuff and that's why I did [it].' Nah, I don't even want it to come off that way," Davis said. "I was wrong. I'm grown enough to know that I need to be better for my son, for myself, and for God. "When I get back to boxing, just know that I am going to be a better Keyshawn."
Yahoo
07-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Keyshawn Davis stepping away from boxing for a year to 'get myself together' after controversies
Keyshawn Davis was supposed to make the first defense of his WBO lightweight title against Edwin De Los Santos on June 7 in Norfolk, Virginia, but then Davis missed weight by an astonishing 4.3 pounds at the official weigh-in and was thus stripped of his belt. It was a nightmare scenario for "The Businessman," a rising star in American boxing who had sold 9,000 tickets for his hometown headliner. "[I was] undisciplined for sure. Not being true to myself as well," Davis told Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show" on Wednesday in his first public interview since that disastrous week. "[I knew it was] probably time to move up [in weight] and [knew] how my body [felt]. [I was] just trying to sacrifice because I had another homecoming fight and I wanted to defend my title in my hometown. I just took a sacrifice to try to make the weight again, and it just didn't turn out that way." "During the [Denys] Berinchyk fight [in February], I told my team, 'This is my last time doing this.' But after you win, [you're] a world champ now, so there's a lot of opportunities and all that stuff. They're like, 'Just defend it one time, you're going back home.' They [made] it sound real good, so I'm like, 'OK, I'll do it. I'm staying active, I don't shoot up in weight, so I should be [good].' I guess that was the wrong call." "During fight week, I'm like, 'Damn, this weight is not coming off like it usually does,'" he added. "The day of the weigh-in, I'm trying to sit in the bath and all that stuff — the weight literally just was not coming out. I'm skinny as hell, dehydrated and stuff. So I'm just like, 'Man, it is what it is. [I] just can't get it off.'" Despite Davis missing weight and being stripped of his belt, negotiations ensued between Davis and De Los Santos' camps to reach a deal to allow their headlining bout to continue under a new agreement. It's common for main-event fights in boxing to still proceed forward after one fighter misses weight because tickets have already been sold, a promoter has an obligation to deliver for their network, and — most importantly — fighters generally don't get paid their full purse unless they fight. De Los Santos wanted to proceed with the fight, however his promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, ultimately canceled the bout. Lewkowicz, who has been a promoter for three decades, said that from observing Davis dancing before he stepped on the scales, he realized that the now-former champion had never intended to compete at the lightweight limit from the beginning. Lewkowicz, therefore, chose not to let De Los Santos fight Davis, as he believed it would be too unsafe for De Los Santos to do so under a massive size disadvantage. Lewkowicz also drew comparisons to the Ryan Garcia vs. Devin Haney situation of 2024, where Garcia seemingly chugged a beer bottle after missing weight by a huge margin. Haney went through with the fight and took severe punishment on the night, after which Garcia tested positive for a banned substance and was suspended. "I fought myself for it," Davis said. "But I was super cocky, arrogant, thinking that he's just going to take the fight anyway because I [boxed someone that significantly missed weight at] one point in time with the [Gustavo] Lemos fight, and then just thinking that it's a big event, there's no way that he cannot fight. He's a fighter. All that's going through my head during that moment, so I'm just thinking that he'll take it. I didn't come overweight on purpose, that's not what champions do. That's not what I do. "[So] when I got that call [telling me the fight was off], I talked to them, of course, and then I hung up — and you can just feel my energy switch. [My family] are all looking at me [and] I'm like, 'Yeah, it ain't going to happen.' They [were] just like, 'F***.'" "After I got that phone call that he wasn't going to take the fight, something in me was just like, 'Keyshawn, you've got to f***ing change, bro. You've got to do better, you've got to be better.' Something in me was just like — boom, everything hit me. All my wrongs [and] everything that I thought that was right, that I could've [done] better." While the moment should've led to reflection and a changed attitude for Davis, unfortunately for him, there was yet more negativity left to come out of what had fast become a horror week. The 2020 U.S. Olympic silver medalist attended the reshuffled June 7 event as a spectator instead to support his two brothers, Kelvin and Keon Davis, who competed on the undercard. The night didn't get off to a positive start for him, as ESPN cameras zoomed in on Davis' arrival, recording his nonchalant attitude as he devoured popcorn. Davis received significant criticism that night for what was portrayed as a carefree attitude on the ESPN broadcast for the fight. He had missed weight, lost his world title, let down his home fans, and apparently didn't seem bothered — or so the narrative was made out. "Coming from where I come from, I learned to build a barrier where I'd never let [anything affect me]," Davis said. "After the Olympics, when I lost [for the gold medal], I learned how to put up a barrier where people can never see me hurt, where people can never see me down. After I lost in the Olympics, that was the most hurt I ever was in the public eye, and I didn't even show it. You ain't seen not one nothing. So I learned how to build that s*** up — and it backfired on me. When I was hearing people say, 'He doesn't really care.' I'm like, 'Damn, why [are] people saying that?' Because before I came to the scale, people [didn't] know what I was doing [was crying]. People don't know how I was really feeling inside." Davis watched later in the night as his former opponent, Nahir Albright, upset his brother, Kelvin, in the chief support bout. Davis then decided to visit Albright's locker room alongside his other brother, Keon. When ESPN cameras went to Albright's locker room, Albright told them that he was "jumped" and "head-butted" by the Davis brothers, and showed the cameras a significant lump on his forehead, which was not visible immediately after his fight. "Everything that he's talking about that happened in the locker room is not true," Davis insisted. "He took that moment [of me being in his locker room] and ran with it and used that s*** for what he used it for. Everything just got blown out of proportion. "I walked in there, just not trying to fight this dude. I'm not trying to start no altercation. First of all, his locker room was right next to ours. It wasn't like I had to skip across town to find him. He was right there. I was going to say a few words. It wasn't going to be [anything] crazy because the fight is over with. For him to say that I put my hands on him, and me and my brother [head-butted] him and all that s*** — I was like, 'What?' I was shocked for real. At the end of the day, I shouldn't have walked in his locker room anyway, so he just [took] that s*** and [ran] with it." Following the incident in De Los Santos' changing room, Davis was involved in yet another altercation, as a brawl unfolded backstage while the main event was unfolding. ESPN cameras showed Davis and his infant son in the midst of the chaos as punches and objects were seen being thrown in the footage. Davis was escorted out of the Scope Arena by police following the second incident of the night. "The Businessman" confirmed to Uncrowned that he is currently under investigation by the state of Virginia for both altercations. Davis, who has struggled with mental health in the past, said he isn't in a rush to return to the ring and is hoping to "get myself together" before focusing on boxing again. The 26-year-old described how he needs a break from boxing as he has been focusing on the sport "nonstop" since the Olympics in 2021. Davis hasn't done any boxing training in two months and isn't expecting to fight again for another year. "I could've [said], 'I'm going through stuff and that's why I did [it].' Nah, I don't even want it to come off that way," Davis said. "I was wrong. I'm grown enough to know that I need to be better for my son, for myself, and for God. "When I get back to boxing, just know that I am going to be a better Keyshawn."
Forbes
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Shakur Stevenson Vs. William Zepeda: Odds, Records, Prediction
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 16: Shakur Stevenson (L) punches Edwin De Los Santos during a fight for ... More a vacant WBC lightweight title on November 16, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Stevenson won the vacant title by unanimous decision. (Photo by) Shakur Stevenson hasn't ever faced an overwhelming power puncher with as much skill as William Zepeda. But that hasn't stopped the oddsmakers from making Stevenson a large betting favorite to retain his lightweight title vs. Zepeda on Saturday night. Here's everything you need to know about Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda, including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win. There's a scent of recent disappointment coming off both fighters heading into their bout. Stevenson was supposed to face Floyd Schofield earlier this year in Saudi Arabia, but Schofield withdrew from the fight at the last minute, leaving Stevenson to fight the relatively unknown Josh Padley. Stevenson scored a stoppage win in the ninth round, but that hasn't kept boxing observers from critiquing his latest performances, a few of which have been underwhelming. Meanwhile, Zepeda was riding high as a undefeated prospect with an impressive KO percentage, but he only managed a split decision vs. Tevin Farmer (many believed Farmer, a former 130-pound world titlist who knocked down Zepeda in the fourth round, actually should have been awarded the victory) and then followed that up with a razor-thin majority decision in the rematch. Considering Schofield knocked out Farmer in the first round last month, those close victories by Zepeda have been diminished. But hey, all of that is in the past. And Zepeda is looking to overwhelm Stevenson. 'He's coming in here to throw as many punches as possible, overwhelm me, and try to bully me,' Stevenson said. 'I'm not going to let that happen. I'm going to go out there and do what I do best: win in spectacular fashion. I'll come out there to whoop his a**.' Clearly, Zepeda would like Stevenson to stand in front of him and trade punches. Even though the light-hitting Farmer dropped Zepeda in their first fight and Stevenson has taken more chances in the ring lately, that's probably not going to happen as much as Zepeda would like. 'He'll have the best version of Shakur Stevenson in front of him,' Stevenson said. 'He will see something different that he hasn't seen before. If he thought I was a skilled fighter before, wait until he sees the best version of myself on fight night. He has no chance.' Said Stevenson: 'I'm fully aware of Shakur's skillset, and I am doing what needs to be done to win on July 12. Shakur says he's going to stand and fight – let's stand and fight.' Here's more info on the Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda showdown that U.S. viewers can watch on DAZN PPV for $59.99 beginning at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday. RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - NOVEMBER 16: William Zepeda punches Tevin Farmer during their fight on the ... More Riyadh Season Latino Night at Kingdom Arena on November 16, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Cris Esqueda/) Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda odds Stevenson is the wide betting favorite at -1200 (bet $1,200 to win $100), while Zepeda is the +700 underdog (win $700 on a $100 wager). I'd avoid Stevenson's money line, but I kind of love a bet on Zepeda there. I'm not predicting Zepeda to pull the upset, but if you think Zepeda would win more than eight out of 100 matches fought against Stevenson (and I think he could), taking Zepeda at +700 could be a good pick. Otherwise, Stevenson winning by decision at -200 is a solid prop bet. If you were looking for a fun parlay for this weekend's action of boxing (and this is only for entertainment purposes), I might take Stevenson to beat Zepeda by decision at -200, Edgar Berlanga to beat Hamzah Sheeraz at +125, and Alberto Puello to beat Subriel Matias by decision at +140. If all of those hit, you'd make $710 on a $100 wager. Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda records At 23-0 (11 KOs), Stevenson is one of the best technical fighters in the world, and he's proved that by beating world titlists Oscar Valdez, Robson Conceicao and Jamel Herring. But even though his last six opponents have a combined record of 104-3, Stevenson still hasn't beaten the elitest of the elite. Zepeda isn't exactly that, but he'll provide a good test with his world-class power. Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs) was considered a fast-rising prospect after beating solid fighters like JoJo Diaz and Mercito Gesta. But his last two close fights against Tevin Farmer has raised some alarms about whether Zepeda is too one-dimensional as a fighter. Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda prediction Stevenson hasn't faced too many hard challenges during his career – or maybe it's better to say that Stevenson is such a good fighter that the opponents we thought could challenge didn't cause him many problems. Either way, Zepeda seemingly fits into the same category. His power and aggressiveness could give Stevenson issues, but it probably won't. Say Stevenson by decision, somewhere in the 118-110 range.
The Sun
08-06-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Boxer Keyshawn Davis ‘escorted out by police after backstage brawl caught on camera with his brother's opponent'
BOXER Keyshawn Davis was reportedly escorted out by police after a backstage brawl with his brother's opponent. Keyshawn was due to headline a homecoming show in Norfolk, Virginia with his brothers Keon and Kelvin on the undercard. 5 5 5 But the 2020 Olympic silver medalist missed weight by 4.3lb and was stripped of his WBO lightweight world title. And opponent Edwin De Los Santos later pulled out of fighting Keyshawn at a revised weight - but was still paid his full purse. The show still went on and Keon scored a knockout win but Kelvin was stunned on points by Nahir Albright. And later in the night, ESPN footage captured the moment Keyshawn was involved in a backstage brawl with Albright. In an interview with ESPN, Albright claimed he was "jumped" by Keyshawn and Keon. He said: "They started walking up to me all tough, putting his head against mine, and then grabbed me. "Then I was about to swing, but my team and everybody, they grabbed Keyshawn and everything, and it was crazy." Albright also alleged that Keyshawn headbutted him and added he is contemplating whether to take legal action. The Davis brothers declined to comment when asked by ESPN. Keyshawn beat Albright by decision in 2023 - but the win was overturned to a no-contest when he tested positive for marijuana. Now Albright says there is unfinished business between the two that he plans to settle one way or another. He said: "It's definitely unfortunate, but it added fuel to the flame. Keyshawn, you gotta run it back with me - in the ring, not outside of the ring." 5 5
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fighter says Keyshawn Davis and his brother 'jumped me' after bout at Scope
Keyshawn Davis' homecoming went from bad to worse. Boxer Nahir Albright on Saturday said Davis and younger brother Keon 'jumped' him in the locker room after Albright defeated Kelvin Davis — the Davis' older brother — by majority decision at Scope in Norfolk. Advertisement The scuffle came a day after Keyshawn Davis' bout against Edwin De Los Santos was canceled when Davis missed weight for what was slated to be his first fight since becoming World Boxing Organization lightweight champion. Multiple videos on X showed Keyshawn and Kelvin Davis in an incident in a Scope hallway, and CBS Sports reported that Keyshawn Davis was escorted out of the arena after police were called. Albright was shown during an ESPN post-fight interview with a bump on his head that he said came after he and Keyshawn Davis butted heads during the locker room scuffle. 'Keyshawn and his little brother (Keon), like, jumped me,' Albright told ESPN. 'They started walking up to me all tough and putting his head against mine. Then he grabbed me and I was about to swing but my team and everybody grabbed Keyshawn and everything. It was crazy.' Advertisement Kelvin Davis, 28, suffered his first pro defeat via majority decision against Albright on Saturday night. That was Albright's second professional fight against a Davis brother after fighting Keyshawn Davis in 2023. Keyshawn Davis defeated Albright by a majority decision, but the result was changed to a no-contest by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation because Davis tested positive for marijuana. Keyshawn Davis, a Norfolk native who became the WBO lightweight world champion with a knockout of Denys Berinchyk on Feb. 14, was scheduled to fight De Los Santos on Saturday night at Scope. But Davis came in at 139.3 pounds — 4.3 pounds over the 135-pound limit — during a weigh-in Friday. Rather than attempt to cut down to the weight limit, Davis opted to give up his his WBO lightweight title. The Davis and De Los Santos camps attempted to negotiate an agreement to keep the fight on, but the sides could not come to an agreement. This is a developing story. Check and later Sunday for more details.
