The art of building a career and gaining name recognition in the sport of boxing takes years of hard work and dedication. Still, unfortunately, within 36 hours, the former WBO lightweight world champion, Keyshawn Davis (13-0, 9 KOs), instantly damaged his brand.

(Credit: Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

For the past three months, Davis was putting in the work inside the ring, and as a result, his stock was on the rise. Due to a lack of professionalism and a heinous act, Keyshawn Davis has fallen into self-destruct mode, with his stock instantly plummeting.

Back in the summer of 2021, Keyshawn Davis represented the United States in the Olympics, capturing a silver medal. He would go on to join the professional boxing ranks and win his first 11 bouts.

Davis was gradually rising in the rankings, as his popularity increased rapidly, courtesy of two outstanding performances. The Norfolk, Virginia native had his initial homecoming bout back in November 2024, when he faced the heavy-hitting Gustavo Lemos.

Davis entertained his hometown crowd as he floored Lemos three times in the second round. After the third knockdown, the referee stepped in and put a halt to the contest. Davis would go on to travel to New York to make his first attempt to win a world title.

In the third round of his title bout against the defending champion Denys Berinchyk, Davis scored a knockdown in the third when he landed a hard left to the body. Davis became the WBO world champion when he stopped Berinchyk in the fourth round courtesy of another vicious body shot.

Keyshawn Davis was moving in the right direction as it relates to becoming the next boxing superstar. He was set for another homecoming bout when he was scheduled to make his first world title defense against Edwin De Los Santos on Saturday night, June 7th.

Before the bout, two Virginia legends were giving Keyshawn Davis his flowers. During an episode of ‘Camp Life,’ NFL legend Michael Vick and NBA legend Allen Iverson both praised Davis regarding the development of his career.

Michael Vick is the new head coach for Norfolk State University, and with Allen Iverson in attendance, Keyshawn Davis was invited to join the two legends for the spring football game. Both Vick and Iverson stated they were fans of Davis as they crowned him the new superstar of the state of Virginia.

After getting endorsed by two iconic legends, Keyshawn Davis did the unthinkable, as he missed the lightweight limit by 4.3 pounds. Davis had an hour to try to make the weight, but when asked, he said he wouldn’t try.

As a result of not making weight, Keyshawn Davis was stripped of his WBO world lightweight title. Hours after failing to make weight, it was announced that the Davis vs De Los Santos fight was cancelled.

To make matters worse, after his brother Kelvin Davis lost to Nahir Albright via unanimous decision in the June 7th co-feature bout, Keyshawn and his younger brother Keon were accused of assaulting Nahir Albright backstage at the Scope Arena.

After these unfortunate incidents, the baffling question is how Keyshawn Davis could receive an endorsement from two iconic legends from his home state, and then proceed to act in a disappointing manner?

On June 7th, Keyshawn Davis lost his title, his paycheck, and some respect from members of his fan base. However, one thing about the sports community is that it’s a very forgiving group.

Now it’s up to Keyshawn Davis to take the necessary steps to repair his image. Once he takes the necessary steps, the next phase will be incorporating the ultimate remedy: stepping back inside the ring and winning.