My First Pro Fight: Chaos in Norfolk

The Keyshawn vs. De Los Santos fight week in Norfolk, Virginia, did not fail to make headlines. Norfolk has hosted two Top Rank Boxing-promoted events in the last eight months, with Davis Brothers Three DB3 as the main draw.

Keyshawn Davis and his brothers, Kelvin and Keon, have headlined the events as the hometown heroes for the prominence they've brought to Norfolk through their fighting. Keyshawn Davis won a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Despite the hometown reunion, the fight week revealed Abdullah Mason as a bigger face and player moving forward in the boxing world, with Keyshawn having no one to blame but himself.

Keyshawn Davis (13-0-0) began the week by completely disrespecting his opponent, Edwin De Los Santos (16-2-0), by stirring up Abdullah Mason (19-0-0) about a fight for the World Boxing Organization Lightweight title.

The following day, he missed weight by four pounds and was stripped of his title. Davis justified the weight by saying he outgrew the weight class, but didn’t let anyone know before weigh-in.

De Los Santos’s team decided it was best if the fight did not proceed, given that Davis would be at a massive size advantage. Promoter Sampson Lewkowicz made the call. De Los Santos decided to fire the promoter because he still wanted to fight Davis.

His promoter’s decision to stop the fight was the correct one from a safety standpoint, but Edwin’s frustration is understandable, as he wanted to take the WBO Lightweight title. De Los Santos now finds himself looking for a new promoter and, hopefully, another chance at a title fight.

Top Rank then moved Mason vs. Jeremia Nakathila (26-5-0) to the main event of the night to cover for the vacancy left by Keyshawn. Despite the new main event, Keyshawn Davis still managed to make the night about himself.

Following a hard-fought majority decision win after ten rounds by Nahir Albright (17-2-0) against Kelvin Davis (15-1-0) in the new main co-event, Keyshawn and Keon Davis (4-0-0) jumped Albright in the locker room. Police escorted Keyshawn out after the chaos.

The evening was supposed to be a celebration and title defense in Keyshawn’s hometown. Instead, Keyshawn displayed an unserious attitude about his career and reputation, given his clear lack of focus on his fight with De Los Santos.

From talking trash and already moving on to provoke another title defense fight against Abdullah Mason, missing weight by over four pounds, and finally, the altercation with Nahir Albright and the police escort out of Scope Arena.

The weekend went about as poorly as it could have for the Davis brothers, despite Keon’s win in the ring. Their behavior exhibited during the fight week events and on fight night has greatly reduced the praise the Mayor of Norfolk, Kenneth Alexander, and the rest of the boxing world have given them. Given the fans' attitudes and media members', DB3 lost significant support by the end of fight weekend.

On the other end of the spectrum, Abdullah Mason had an exceptional weekend—a TKO win in five rounds against Jeremia Nakathila inside the ring, where he looked very much in control. The first and second rounds saw both fighters feeling each other out before Mason showed his speed and abilities in the next couple of rounds, before the fight was called due to a cut on Nakathila’s left eye.

Mason landed 51.4% of his punches compared to Nakathila’s 19.7%, with not a single jab connecting. All in all, Mason’s skills in the ring show he is poised to make a run to the top of the Lightweight division and is focused on that goal. His fight with Nakathila also became the main event following Keyshawn’s weigh-in, stealing the show in Davis’s hometown.

Mason is on the road to being a key figure in boxing for many years to come, given how well he presents himself. Mason acts with great humility and composure. He seems to keep his emotions in check and is very respectful to everyone around him, especially other fighters.

He embodies the qualities of a driven and focused individual who, with the help of his four brothers and father, has all the tools he needs to become a great boxer. The weekend in Norfolk might be the propulsion into stardom for Mason.

As for the other memorable moments from the night, Patrick O’Connor (1-0-0) looked impressive in his professional debut. He managed to knock out Marcus Smith (2-2-0) in the second round and was in total control the entire way.

Deric Davis (7-0-0) took it to Naheem Parker (5-3-0) in only two rounds. He landed massive punches throughout the last two rounds before knocking out Parker.

Lastly, despite his antics afterwards, Keon Davis had an excellent night in the ring. He defeated Michael Velez-Garcia (3-1-0) with two quick body shots and claimed his fourth professional win.

This particular event was my first experience with professional boxing, and I was thrilled to be deeply immersed in what the world of boxing is like. The Davis drama certainly made for an interesting weekend, but the overall experience was very educational.

Top Rank Boxing was kind enough to provide me with credentials on short notice before the fight, and they were very accommodating. I am deeply appreciative of their help.