This weekend at Scope Arena in Norfolk, VA, was going to be all about DB3, which consists of Keyshawn Davin, Kelvin Davis, and Keon Davis.
However, things changed when Keyshawn Davis, who was scheduled to defend his WBO 135-pound title against Edwin De Los Santos, missed weight. Ultimately, Keyshawn was stripped of his title, and his fight with De Los Santos was canceled.
With Davis-De Los Santos off the card, 135-pound contender Abdullah Mason had an opportunity to steal the show, and guess what he did?
He stole the show!
The 21-year-old Mason battled Jeremia Nakathila in the main event on Saturday night, and he got the job done as he stopped Nakathila in the fifth round.
Mason (19-0, 17 KOs) started by measuring his distance with his lead right hand before connecting with straight lefts. Nakathila (26-5, 21 KOs) tried to connect with his signature right hand, but the southpaw had found his rhythm by rounds three and four, cutting the distance with the left hand and right hook before ripping shots to the body.
Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank
Nakathila survived the fourth despite repeatedly being stunned by Mason. Nevertheless, the ringside physician waved it off at the start of the fifth.
“It was a great fight,” Mason said. “I knew that he had some power, so I took my time a little bit and broke him down.”
“We want to get towards those titles. Anything that can be worked out, I’m willing to make it happen.”
Mason is the future, and at some point, the future will now.
More bad news for DB3…
In October 2023, Philly native Nahir Albright (17-2, 7 KOs) lost to Keyshawn Davis by majority decision, but the fight was turned into a no-contest after Davis tested positive for marijuana.
Fast forward to Saturday night. This time, Albright is fighting Keyshawn’s brother, Kelvin Davis, and he gets his revenge.
Albright prevailed via a 10-round majority decision over the previously undefeated Davis (15-1, 8 KOs).
One judge scored the fight 95-95, but two others scored it 97-93 and 96-94 in favor of Albright, who secured the upset win.
Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank
Albright, 29, landed hard right hands early, snapping Davis’ head back and forcing him to clinch. Davis rallied in the middle rounds and opened a cut above Albright’s right eye, but Albright continued to find a home for his right hand down the stretch, which helped him secure the victory.
The real story unfolded after the fight, when video showed a physical altercation between Albright and Keyshawn and Keon Davis. According to Albright, who had a knot on his head due to the post-fight altercation, he was ambushed by Keyshawn and Keon Davis.
Both Keyshawn and Keon were escorted from the building. According to a social media post from Kelvin Davis, his brothers did not ambush Albright. Should be interesting to see how this plays out.
This was a terrible weekend for DB3. A celebration of a boxing family turned south, and it turned south quickly. Their reputation will take a hit, and hopefully, they’ll be able to rebuild it moving forward.
In other action…
Welterweight: U.S. Olympian Tiger Johnson (16-0, 7 KOs) earned his second victory of the year by defeating Janelson Bocachica (17-4-1, 11 KOs) via a lopsided 10-round decision. Johnson dictated the terms of the fight, forcing Bocachica to come forward so he could counter. Bocachica grew frustrated and tried to bait Johnson, but to no avail. Johnson continued working the outside and landing the occasional shot down the stretch. Scores: 100-90, 97-93, and 98-92.
Middleweight: Troy Isley (15-0, 5 KOs) retained his NABO title with a workmanlike 10-round points verdict against Etoundi Michel William (16-2, 12 KOs). Isley connected more in the exchanges and wobbled William with a combination. William, however, was slippery and didn’t allow Isley to capitalize. Scores: 98-92 and 96-94 2x.
Welterweight: Six months after his pro debut at Scope Arena, Keon Davis (4-0, 3 KOs) earned a second-round knockout against the previously unbeaten Michael Velez (3-1, 2 KOs). Davis towered over Velez and used his large frame to neutralize Velez’s offense before firing off precise counters, including a left to the liver that ended the fight. Time of stoppage: 2:22.
Middleweight: Dominican Olympian Euri Cedeño (12-0-1, 11 KOs) increased his knockout streak to five, notching a fifth-round TKO over Ecuador’s Abel Mina (18-4-1, 9 KOs). Working from a disciplined high guard, Cedeño applied steady pressure and landed a series of clean left hands that wobbled Mina toward the end of the round. Mina then retired on his stool.
Lightweight: Deric Davis (7-0, 7 KOs), who trains under Barry Hunter from nearby Headbangers Boxing Gym in Washington, D.C., authored a second-round knockout against Naheem Parker (5-3, 2 KOs). A counter left to the ribs dropped Parker for the 10-count at the end of the round.
Cruiserweight: Patrick O’Connor (1-0, 1 KO) entered the paid ranks tonight by punishing Marcus Smith (2-2, 2 KOs) to the body en route to a second-round finish. Time of stoppage: 2:03.
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