Keyshawn Davis lost his WBO lightweight world title on the scales Friday afternoon.
Davis tipped the scales at 139.3 pounds at the official weigh-in — 4.3 pounds over the 135-pound lightweight championship limit — and has therefore been stripped of his belt. His opponent, Edwin De Los Santos, weighed in at 134.7 pounds, successfully making weight.
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As a result, only De Los Santos will be eligible to walk out of the Scope Arena in Norfolk on Saturday night as the WBO lightweight champion. Should Davis beat De Los Santos in the ESPN-broadcasted main event, the belt will become vacant — that is, if the fight still goes ahead.
As of now, Davis vs. De Los Santos is off, according to De Los Santos’ promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz.
Davis’ and De Los Santos’ teams will need to strike a deal in the next few hours for the bout to proceed, which will require Davis to substantially compensate De Los Santos from his seven-figure purse for the infraction.
Situations such as these sometimes lead to the last-minute addition of a rehydration clause. Should that be the case, Davis would not be able to weigh over a certain number at a second-day weigh-in on Saturday morning to make sure that the weight difference between Davis and De Los Santos isn’t unsafe.
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Should the bout be called off — or if it goes ahead and Davis wins — the WBO title will become vacant. Unbeaten prospects Sam Noakes and Abdullah Mason, who are the WBO’s No. 1 and No. 2-ranked contenders at lightweight, will likely be ordered to vie for the vacant championship. Mason is scheduled to meet Jeremia Nakathila in the Davis vs. De Los Santos co-feature.
In an interview after missing weight, Davis indicated that his days at lightweight are over.
“[I’ve] been making this weight for over four years now. I just outgrew the weight,” Davis told Top Rank’s Crystina Poncher. “I tried [making weight]. I was up late last night. I woke up early this morning, trying to make the weight. I just outgrew the weight. I was feeling it the last time I was fighting [Denys] Berinchyk — I thank God that I made it. Y’all don’t know how I was [feeling] making it. But hey, it is what it is.”
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