Notebook: Keyshawn Davis headed to first defense vs. De Los Santos
Norfolk hometown fight will be June 7; MVP continues signing binge of top female talent; Badou Jack change of plans; WBO honors Collazo; Quick hits; Show and tell
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Top Rank is planning newly-crowned WBO lightweight titleholder Keyshawn Davis’ first defense for June 7 as the main event of an ESPN card at the Scope Arena in his hometown of Norfolk, Virginia.
The company is trying to finalize Edwin De Los Santos as his opponent, Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti and De Los Santos promoter Sampson Lewkowicz told Fight Freaks Unite on Wednesday.
Despite social media commentary that the fight would not happen due to De Los Santos’ purse demands, both camps said that is not the case. Lewkowicz said De Los Santos has agreed to his purse and also signed a bout agreement with him for the fight.
Now it is down to Lewkowicz and Top Rank to finish their deal and paperwork, unrelated to De Los Santos’ money.
“I’m working on stuff with Sampson,” Moretti said. “It’s a work in progress but I hope we wrap it up soon.”
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Davis (13-0, 9 KOs), 26, a 2020 U.S. Olympic silver medalist and the 2022 prospect of the year, had the first hometown fight of his career in November, when he sold out the Scope Arena and demolished contender Gustavo Lemos in the second round of a scintillating performance knowing a victory would propel him into a world title shot,
Davis got it on Feb. 14 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, where he blew away undefeated Denys Berinchyk in the fourth round of a dominating performance to win the 135-pound title.
De Los Santos (16-2, 14 KOs), 25, a southpaw from the Dominican Republic, has had two notable fights so far. In September 2022, he scored his biggest win, a third-round knockout of then-unbeaten Jose Valenzuela, who would go on to win the WBA junior welterweight title.
Two fights later, De Los Santos challenged Shakur Stevenson for the vacant WBC lightweight title in November 2023 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and put on a dreadful performance in a unanimous decision loss.
De Los Santos, who has not fought since, set the CompuBox record for landing the fewest punches (40) in a 12-round fight in any weight class of the many thousands of bouts CompuBox, which had been doing it for 38 years at that point, had ever tracked. Three weeks later, Regis Prograis broke De Los Santos’ record by landing 36 punches and losing the WBC junior welterweight title in a shutout decision to Devin Haney.
Although the June 7 event has not been announced yet, a Top Rank spokesperson said that Davis’ older brother, junior welterweight Kelvin Davis (15-0, 8 KOs), 28, and younger brother, welterweight Keon Davis (2-0, 1 KO), 23, would also fight on the card as they did on the November show. Keon turned pro on the November card and had his second fight on his brother’s card in February.
DAZN’s U.S. deal
If you live in the United States, you can get a 30 percent discount on an annual subscription to DAZN, which will stream a marquee fight in the Jaron “Boots” Ennis-Eimantas Stanionis welterweight title unification bout on Saturday. The offer is good through April 14. Click here or the photo if interested.
Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis interview
If you missed the recent podcast episode that included my one-on-one interview with IBF welterweight titlist Jaron “Boots” Ennis ahead of his unification fight with WBA titlist Eimantas Stanionis on Saturday (DAZN) in Atlantic City, New Jersey, we broke it out separately and you can listen to it here. Give it a listen, a review, and also subscribe to get an alert when the next episode is available. New shows every Thursday and Sunday night (and occasional special episodes like this one).
MVP signing binge
Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, already the leader in women’s boxing promotion, unveiled four new signees on Wednesday and introduced the women at the kickoff news conference for women’s undisputed junior welterweight champion Katie Taylor’s trilogy fight with unified featherweight champion Amanda Serrano at New York’s Madison Square Garden, where the all-female card will take place on July 11 (Netflix).
The four newest MVP fighters introduced were WBO/IBF junior featherweight champion Ellie Scotney (10-0, 0 KOs), 27, of England; IBF bantamweight titlist Shurretta Metcalf (14-4-1, 2 KOs), 40, of Dallas; WBA interim featherweight titlist Jennifer Miranda (12-0, 1 KO), 38, of Spain; and featherweight Elizabeth Oshoba (9-0, 5 KOs), 26, of Nigeria.
“From day one, we said MVP would be a force for change in boxing — and a cornerstone of that statement has been supporting women's boxing like no one has before. We are excited to have four more powerful women join our roster,” MVP co-founders Nakisa Bidarian and Paul said in a joint statement. “Ellie Scotney is going to become one of the top names in the sport in short order. Shurretta Metcalf defines the determination required for being great. Elizabeth Oshoba has the power to put the entire 126-pound division on KO notice now, and Jennifer Miranda signifies what we look for in all athletes, inside and outside the ring in her capabilities.”
The signings came soon after the recent signing of five others: undisputed junior lightweight champion Alycia Baumgardner (15-1, 7 KOs), 30, of Detroit, who will defend against Miranda in the co-feature on July 11; WBC/WBO bantamweight titlist Dina Thorslund (23-0, 9 KOs), 31, of Denmark; junior featherweight Ramla Ali (9-2, 2 KOs), 35, a 2020 Olympian from Somalia who fights out of England; junior flyweight Naomy Valle (14-0, 9 KOs), 20, of Costa Rica; and Nat Dove (4-0, 0 KOs), 23, a former amateur standout from Philadelphia.
“With the backing of MVP, (co-founders) Nakisa Bidarian and Jake Paul, I’m ready to take things to the next level,” Scotney said. “MVP is breaking barriers for women’s boxing, and I’m proud to be part of a movement that’s creating real change and global opportunities for female fighters. This is just the beginning.”
Scotney’s first fight of the deal will come in a three-belt unification bout against WBC titlist Yamileth Mercado (24-3, 5 KOs), 27, of Mexico, on the July 11 card, which will also include a three-belt unification fight between Thorslund and Metcalf.
“I am honored and overjoyed to have signed with MVP, Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian,” Metcalf said. “They are the premiere promoters in women’s boxing, and I look forward to being a part of their family. I thank them for this opportunity and I plan to make MVP proud that they are giving me this opportunity.”
iFL TV appearance
I joined my pal Andrew McCart at iFL TV to discuss a few boxing topics: Dmitry Bivol vacating the WBC title; David Benavidez being elevated and what might be next for him; the planned Bivol-Artur Beterbiev trilogy fight; Canelo Alvarez; Saturday’s Jaron “Boots” Ennis-Eimantas Stanionis welterweight unification fight; and more. check out the video here:
Jack’s change of plans
WBC cruiserweight titlist Badou Jack is in need of a new opponent following Ryan Rozicki suffering a torn biceps in training.
Jack-Rozicki was scheduled to take place on the undercard of the Canelo Alvarez-William Scull undisputed super middleweight championship fight on May 3 (DAZN PPV) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Rozicki (20-1-1, 19 KOs), 30, of Canada, said when he threw a jab in a recent sparring session he heard “pop” and looked at his arm and saw him biceps wrapped around his shoulder. He will need surgery and be sidelined for several months.
The leading opponent to now face Jack (28-3-3, 17 KOs), 41, of Dubai, is Noel Mikaelian, the WBC’s “champion in recess,” who is set to return to action following an injury and the settlement of contract issues with promoter Don King.
“We just heard the news and our champion in recess, Noel Mikaelian is ready, willing and able to step in for Rozicki and fight Jack for the title,” King said. “We are in the process of negotiating a deal.”
Mikaelian was scheduled to defend the title against Rozicki three times but each time the fight was called off and eventually canceled due Rozicki’s issues, which caused the WBC to re-classify him a “champion in recess” and return Jack from his position as “champion in recess” to the titleholder.
Just hours before Rozicki’s injury was announced, King announced that Mikaelian (27-2, 12 KOs), 34, an Armenia native fighting out of Miami, would return to fight Isaiah Thompson (10-4-2, 9 KOs), 27, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on May 17 at a location to be announced in Florida.
Mikaelian has been idle since a third-round knockout of Ilunga Makabu win the WBC cruiserweight title in November 2023.
WBO honors Collazo
When a WBO champion makes five consecutive title defenses they are awarded a special championship to symbolize the accomplishment. This week, Oscar Collazo, the unified WBO/WBA champion, received his.
Collazo (12-0, 9 KOs), 29, was honored by the organization in his hometown of Villalba, Puerto Rico, two weeks after he traveled to Edwin Cano’s home country and knocked him out in the fifth round in Cancun, Mexico, to retain the WBO belt for the fifth time. It was also his first defense of the WBA title, which he won by dominating seventh-round KO of then-undefeated and long-reigning Thammanoon Niyomtrong in their unification fight in November in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Attending the ceremony for Collazo were fighters such as Hall of Famer and Puerto Rican countryman Ivan Calderon, WBO lightweight titlist Keyshawn Davis, WBO junior flyweight titlist Rene Santiago and Puerto Rican former titleholders Nelson Dieppa, Alex Sanchez and Alberto Machado.
“I am grateful to all of you for the support you have given me from the beginning (and to) the WBO for this great ring, and for always supporting me from the beginning,” Collazo said. “I tell young people not to see me as the best boxer, but as an inspiration that I want to be for you. Dreams can be achieved, no matter where you’re from or how many setbacks you may have.
“You can achieve everything with faith in God. Remember to listen to your parents, teachers. Difficult times will come, but after the storm comes the sun.”
WBO president Gustavo Olivieri was also on hand.
“Collazo’s relationship with the WBO began in 2019 when former WBO president Francisco ‘Paco’ Valcarcel recognized him for winning gold at the Pan American Games,” he said. “In just his seventh fight, he became the first world champion from Puerto Rico to be crowned in the fastest way. … Not only (is he) an extraordinary athlete, but also a good citizen, a good son, a good husband; exemplary in every way. Oscar is a champion inside and outside the ring.”
BetUS Boxing Show
If you missed the BetUS Boxing Show live at 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday on YouTube, please check out the replay (and also subscribe to the YouTube channel). For scheduling reasons we had to switch this week’s show from Friday. We previewed and picked two fights on Saturday’s Matchroom Boxing card on DAZN: the Jaron “Boots” Ennis-Eimantas Stanionis welterweight unification main event and the co-feature between junior lightweight Raymond Ford and Thomas Mattice. We also took viewer questions and comments and discussed the latest boxing news! Please check out the show here:
Quick hits
Junior middleweight contender Serhii Bohachuk (25-2, 24 KOs), 29, a Ukraine native fighting out of Los Angeles, will risk his WBC mandatory challenger status against Mykel Fox (25-4, 5 KOs), 29, a southpaw from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, in the main event of a 360 Promotions card on May 17 (UFC Fight Pass) at the Commerce Casino & Hotel in Commerce, California. Last August, Bohachuk lost a majority decision and the WBC interim title to Vergil Ortiz Jr. in a fight of the year contender. Bohachuk bounced back with a sixth-round knockout of replacement opponent Ishmael Davis in December in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Bohachuk was slated to fight former titlist Israil Madrimov but he withdrew two weeks beforehand due to “acute bronchitis.”
Kameda Promotions has added a second world title fight to its May 24 card at the International Exhibition Center in Osaka, Japan. IBF strawweight titlist Pedro Taduran (17-4-1, 13 KOs), 28, of the Philippines, will face fellow southpaw Ginjiro Shigeoka (11-1, 9 KOs), 25, in an immediate rematch of his ninth-round knockout to win the belt in July and become a two-time 105-pound titlist. The main event is the previously announced fight between IBF featherweight titlist Angelo Leo and mandatory challenger Tomoki Kameda, who will fight in his hometown.
Star actress Sydney Sweeney will serve as the grand marshal of the 2025 International Boxing Hall of Fame weekend’s “Parade of Champions,” the Hall announced. Sweeney, who will portray Hall of Famer Christy Martin in a movie set for release later this year, will lead parade through the streets of Canastota, New York, on June 8, before the induction ceremonies. “I’ve become close to the sport of boxing by portraying Christy Martin and bringing life to her incredibly inspiring story,” Sweeney said. “Now I’m thrilled to be leading the parade featuring so many great champions.” This year’s induction class includes Manny Pacquiao, Vinny Paz and Michael Nunn, among others.
Show and tell
Long before Evander Holyfield became a legendary heavyweight champion, he ran roughshod over the cruiserweight division. He won a 15-round split decision over fellow future Hall of Famer Dwight Muhammad Qawi in an epic slugfest in July 1986 to win his first world title, the WBA junior heavyweight belt, which is what that organization called the cruiserweight title. Three fights later, Holyfield stopped Ricky Parkey to unify the WBA and IBF titles. And three fights after that he squared off with Carlos De Leon. Holyfield was well ahead on all three scorecards when he knocked him out in the eighth round to retain his belts and also win the WBC title. Thus, Holyfield become the first undisputed champion in division history. The historic fight with De Leon, which aired on Showtime, took place on April 9, 1988 — 33 years ago on Wednesday. Here is a mint program from the fight in my collection.
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Photos: Davis: Mikey Williams/Top Rank; MVP fighters with Jake Paul: Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix; Collazo: V Planas/WBO
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Holyfield vs. De Leon! So many people questioned Holyfield moving up to heavyweight after that. They talked about a lack of power and size in the biggest division! And all the naysayers were LOUD wrong! 🤣🤣🤣