Keyshawn Davis Destroys Lemos In Two Rounds

A sold-out crowd of 10,568 at the Scope Arena in Norfolk enjoyed big wins for the hometown Davis Brothers and a wild Round of the Year by the likely Prospect of the Year.

Lightweight Keyshawn Davis (12-0, 8 KOs) thrilled his hometown fans in the main event against Gustavo Lemos of Argentina 29-2, 19 KOs) with an utterly destructive knockout win, stopping Lemos at 1:08 of the second round.

Keyshawn Davis punished Gustavo Lemos with gusto, stopping him early in round two. Photo: Mikey Williams, Top Rank Boxing

Entering the ring after missing weight (apparently by design) by six pounds and rehydrating up to the mid-150 pound range, the crowd showered Lemos in catcalls and booing. Davis agreed to move forward, given the hometown event and his desire to win this world title eliminator fight for a chance to fight for a title against Denis Berinchyk. Would the weight differential trouble Davis?

Not in the slightest. Davis used his jab in the first round to keep Lemos honest, who pressed forward. But Lemos gave up speed and mobility for size.

In the second round, Davis found openings and took advantage of them. Twenty seconds into round two, he dropped Lemos with a right hook. Lemos got up on wobbly legs, and seconds later, Davis sent Lemos down even harder into the corner. Lemos pulled himself up. Referee Raul Caiz Jr. gave him a long look, and surprisingly allowed him to continue. Davis ended the fight for good with a devastating right hook, and Lemos took down Caiz Jr. with him. The Norfolk crowd joined in the victory celebration.

Keyshawn Davis: Didn’t Feel Any Power

After the first round, Keyshawn Davis said he felt no power coming from the blown up Gustavo Lemos. Photo: Mikey Williams, Top Rank Boxing

Davis said he and his team had no hesitation taking the fight. “We stuck to our guns, man. We said, if he comes in too much over, we ain’t gonna fight. But he followed his game plan. He didn’t come (in) too much over. So we had the fight, and we gave y’all a spectacular night,” said Davis.

Davis said any concerns about being overpowered disappeared quickly. “I honestly thought Lemos was going to put up a stronger challenge than (WBO World Lightweight champion Denis) Berinchyk, but I knocked him out in the second round.

Keyshawn Davis celebrated his victory with his hometown Norfolk fans. Photo: Mikey Williams, Top Rank Boxing

“Honestly, I didn’t feel no power in him,” added Davis. “I actually sat back on the ropes one little second, and I let him throw his overhand that he loves to throw, and I felt it on my shoulder.” Davis said he exchanged looks with his brothers as the first round ended, signaling he had the fight in hand.

“Maybe he didn’t get his chance to really hit me. But hey, I can’t really say too much about a two-round fight,” shrugged Davis, calling it a “marquee night” for himself and his brothers.

Keyshawn Davis celebrates his win with his brothers, sisters, mom, and trainer Brian McIntyre. Photo: Mikey Williams, Top Rank Boxing

“Next year Norfolk, y’all gonna have a world champion next year. Man, how about that?” said Davis to the delighted fans, including Shakur Stevenson, Terence Crawford, Michael Vick, and Norfolk Mayor Dr. Kenneth Cooper Alexander.

Davis asked the fans not to forget him on his road to a championship and for support for the DB3. “We we got big, big plans for everybody in the boxing world. Gervonta, knock, knock!” laughed Davis of a future Davis vs Davis showdown.

DB3 Goes Three for Three

Both the older and younger brothers of Keyshawn Davis enjoyed victories on the undercard.

Kelvin Davis got the victory, topped off by a final-round knockdown. Photo: Mikey Williams, Top Rank Boxing

Junior welterweight contender Kelvin Davis (14-0, 7 KOs) got a spirited effort from Yeis Solano of Colombia (15-4, 10 KOs), making for an exciting but one-sided fight. 80-71, 79-72, 79-72

“in the beginning, he wasn’t coming to fight, but as it kept on, he made it a little more interesting. I had to give the hometown crowd something. He ain’t come to fight for real for real, so I had to try to do something to give the fans a good show,” explained Kelvin Davis.

Davis took several years away from the ring, restarting his career in 2018.  “A lot of people counted me out. But look at me right now, to this day with my brothers. We’re bringing something good to the city,” said the 27-year-old.

Keon Davis scored a knockdown on the way to a win in his pro debut. Photo: Mikey Williams, Top Rank Boxing

Youngest Davis brother Keon Davis (1-0) did his best to get a stoppage for the hometown crowd in his pro debut, but he settled for a shutout 40-36 on all three cards in a four-round junior middleweight bout versus Jalen Moore of Irving, Texas. (1-2, 1 KO). With Keyshawn watching ringside, Davis was calm, in charge, and entertaining.

“Hell yeah, I’m happy, man,” said Davis. “The whole city came out to see me. I love y’all! Keep supporting me, man!” said Davis, who promised to keep delivering good performances.

“Two more rounds, and he woulda been outta here! I just set the table for the whole 147 division. Y’all better watch out for me. I swear I’m coming.” Davis said his offense was on point, but would work on his defense, and credited his opponent for Texas toughness. “Don’t mess with the juice!” said Davis.

Abdullah Mason: Prospect of the Year after Round of the Year

Abdullah Mason got a second-round knockout win, but getting there was a wild ride. Photo: Mikey Williams, Top Rank Boxing

Abdullah Mason of Cleveland (16-0, 15 KOs) sealed his selection as Prospect of the Year in one of the wilder two-round knockout wins you’ll ever see over Yohan Vazquez of the Dominican Republic (26-6, 21 KOs).

The poised 20-year-old Mason has gotten a lot of attention. He faced a real test in Vazquez, who stood right in front of Mason and caught him paying too much attention to his offense, scoring a knockdown with a check left hook. It was the first knockdown of Mason’s pro career.

Abdullah Mason returned fire after getting knocked down by Yohan Vazquez in round one. Photo: Mikey Williams, Top Rank Boxing

Mason promptly returned the favor with a hard left uppercut. Vazquez also got to his feet. Mason pressed forward to close the show. Vazquez had gas left in the tank and caught Mason on the chin with another short left hook, throwing him off balance and causing his glove to touch the canvas. The crowd was on its feet for what will surely be the Round of the Year.

Abdullah Mason suffered his first two knockdowns as a pro. The second was a flash knockdown when a glove touched the canvas. Photo: Mikey Williams, Top Rank Boxing

“Don’t rush it, it’s boxing! You gotta box him,” said Mason’s father and trainer, Valiant Mason.

Mason showed more defensive responsibility in the second round – to a point. Mason found an opening and made Vazquez pay, dropping him with a hard left to the body.  That was it, Mason’s sixth knockout win in a row at 1:59 of round two and his fifth win in 2024.

“Ah man. I knew he had something. Thank you for having me, Norfolk!” said Mason after the fight. “This is boxing. We make it exciting. Prospect of the Year!”

Boxing is a family affair for the Masons, just like for the Davis brothers. Photo: Mikey Williams, Top Rank Boxing

Mason said his father told him Vazquez would come forward exactly as he did. “Man, it was something else. It’s exciting, it’s experience, and we push through it. We gave the fans a great show,” said Mason, adding that the performance proved he could push through anything.

“There’s always more to learn. But we make the sport exciting. We’re coming, me and my brothers,” said Mason, who has five brothers, all aiming for successful boxing careers.

Isley Rolls To Decision

Troy Isley won by decision over Tyler Howard. Photo: Mikey Williams, Top Rank Boxing

In the middleweight co-feature, Washington, DC native Troy Isley (14-0, 5 KOs) had a solid performance in his decision win over Tyler Howard of Tennessee (20-2, 11 KOs). Scores were 99-91, 99-91, and 98-92.

But Isley suffered a bit compared to the wild action in the Abdullah Mason victory. He decided to box for the first seven rounds, then pressed forward more in the eighth round. Howard came on strong in the tenth round, backing Isley into the ropes and landing hard shots. Too little, too late.

Isley landed 143 of 460 punches thrown (31%) versus 69 of 256 punches thrown for Howard (27%). Enough to get the win, but not a fight fans will go home and talk about.

Undercard Wins: Aleem, Merriweather, Deanda

Ra’eese Aleem shook off 18 months of ring rust with a win over Derlyn Hernandez. Photo: Mikey Williams, Top Rank Boxing

Ra’eese Aleem of Las Vegas (21-1, 12 KOs) opened the card with a solid performance, hurting Derlyn Hernandez-Geraldldo of the Dominican Republic (12-3-1, 10 KOs) in the fourth round and dropping him in the fifth round. Hernandez weathered the storm and fired back with a few solid shots of his own, including a wicked body shot in the seventh round.

But Aleem was the busier fighter overall and got Hernandez in trouble again with a hard right in the ninth round. Aleem takes the decision with three 100-89 scorecards. It was a solid return for Aleem after his loss to Sam Goodman in Australia 18 months ago.

Robert Merriweather could be a scholarship college student but has decided to pursue pro boxing instead. Photo: Mikey Williams, Top Rank Boxing

Super featherweight Robert Merriweather III of Las Vegas (8-0, 3 KOs) won by decision over Eric Howard of Tampa, Florida (6-3, 1 KO). Scores for the six-round fight were 60-54, 59-55, and 59-55. The 19-year-old Merriweather graduated from high school at 16 and turned pro, fighting in Tijuana at 17. If this boxing thing doesn’t work out, Merriweather has a standing Fullbright Scholarship waiting for him.

After a haircut, Austin Deanda got the victory. Photo: Mikey Williams, Top Rank Boxing

Austin Deanda of Amhurst, Virginia (16-0, 10 KOs) had to get an impromptu haircut between rounds from cutman Jacob “Stitch” Duran before he could continue against DeAundre Pettus of Columbus, South Carolina (12-3, 7 KOs) for a decision win in front of his hometown fans. Scores were 78-74, 77-75, and 77-75 for Deanda.