Weekend Boxing Schedule: Keyshawn Davis Loses Title

The boxing schedule is packed this first weekend of June, and that’s a blessing since the weekend’s most anticipated fight featuring Keyshawn Davis isn’t taking place.

WBO Lightweight champion Keyshawn Davis has already lost his title on the scale. He weighed in at 139.3 pounds Friday afternoon, more than four pounds over the 135-pound lightweight limit.

Initially, it was reported that an agreement was reached with Davis’s opponent, Edwin De Los Santos of the Dominican Republic, and the fight would take place with a payout agreeable to De Los Santos to move forward. This is nearly always the case with the challenger feeling the pressure to agree to a deal, even when it puts him at a competitive disadvantage, because of the need for a paycheck.

Denys Berinchyk is counted out after a body shot in round four, giving Keyshawn Davis the win and the WBO World Lightweight title. Davis said he barely made weight for this title fight. Photo: Mikey Williams, Top Rank Boxing

The deal reportedly included a rehydration limit of 149.5 pounds on Saturday morning. But De Los Santos and his team decided his safety was most important and decided not to move forward with the fight. It’s the right decision, and it’s not the fault of De Los Santos.

Davis loses his WBO Lightweight title without throwing a punch. Top Rank Boxing should work with the WBO to do the right thing and schedule a title fight with De Los Santos as one of the challengers in the near future.

Right after the weigh-in, De Los Santos’ promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, told Fight Freaks Unite boxing journalist Dan Rafael, “In this moment, there is no fight. (Davis) is irresponsible. He’s not professional.”

Davis’s promoter, the veteran Bob Arum of Top Rank Boxing, was fit to be tied and isn’t one to hold back on the criticism at age 93. “You can tell if a guy is trying to make weight and just can’t. You can see that he’s dehydrated. That wasn’t the case with Keyshawn. He never really tried to make 135. That’s my view of what happened.”

After the weigh-in, Davis was asked by Crystina Poncher what happened.

“I outgrew the weight. I’ve been making this weight for over four years now. I just outgrew the weight,” shrugged Davis. Davis has fought at 135 pounds since turning pro after the Summer Olympics in 2021. He has never missed weight before.

“I tried. I was up late last night trying to make the weight. I woke up early this morning. I just outgrew the weight, man. I was feeling it the last time I fought (Denis) Berinchyk. Thank God I made it. It is what it is.” Davis said he planned to move up to super lightweight at 140 pounds after Saturday’s bout, so he will move on looking for a title in the next division. He assumed De Los Santos would take a deal and promised to put on a show.

Now, Davis (13-0, 9 KOs) will be sitting among his hometown Norfolk fans, turning out to see his brothers Keon and Kelvin, also on the card.

Abdullah Mason and Jeremiah Nakathila have been elevated to the main event. Photo: Top Rank Boxing Keyshawn Davis

The co-main event between former Prospect of the Year Abdullah Mason of Cleveland (18-0, 16 KOs) and Jeremia Nakathila of Windhoek, Namibia (26-4, 21 KOs) will now become the main event.

Mason is pushing toward contender status and is among the most exciting young American boxers. He’s a knockout artist, charismatic both in and out of the ring, and still just 21 years old. Nakathila, age 35, has faced the top talents in the division. He is on a three-fight win streak against opponents in Namibia, after losses to Shakur Stevenson, Raymond Muratalla, and Tito Mercado.

Nakathila is a veteran who may give Mason a few rounds, but Mason is smoking hot right now, and this is a stay-busy fight. Be in your seat for the opening bell. Mason has only gone past four rounds once.

The undercard has now been moved up to a start time of 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT. The remainder of the weekend’s boxing schedule in order. Top Rank says patrons seeking a refund should contact their original point of purchase. The deadline for refunds is 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 7, so don’t delay.

🥊 Friday, June 6

Hall of Fame Weekend – Salita Promotions

American heavyweights Brandon Moore and Stanley Wright are featured in the main event on Hall of Fame Fight Night in Verona, New York. Photo: Salita Promotions

• Time: 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT
• Location: Turning Stone Resort Casino, Verona, NY
• Broadcast: DAZN

In the main event, American heavyweights Brandon Moore of Lakeland, Florida (12-0, 8 KOs) and Stanley Wright of Atlanta (13-2, 7 KOs) will kickoff the International Boxing Hall of Fame weekend events.

In the co-main event, unified super middleweight champion Franchón Crews-Dezurn of Baltimore (8-2, 2 KOs) will defend her belts against Citlalli Ortiz of Coachella, California (5-0, 2 KOs).

🥊 Saturday, June 7

Queensberry Promotions:  Fabio Wardley vs. Justis Huni

Expect fireworks between Fabio Wardley and Justis Huni in Ipswich, England. Photo: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry.

• Time: 2 pm ET / 11 am PT
• Location: Portman Road, Ipswich, UK
• Broadcast: DAZN

Undefeated heavyweights Fabio Wardley of Ipswich (18-0-1, 17 KOs) and Justis Huni of Brisbane, Australia (12-0, 7 KOs) will try to hand the first defeat to each other in a homecoming fight Wardley had long dreamed about. The WBA Interim title is at stake for the winner.

Wardley was originally scheduled to face American Jarrell Miller, who withdrew a month prior due to injury. Huni agreed to take the fight on short notice, which speaks well for his ambitions. Both are heavy handed as heavyweights should be. It will be a fun atmosphere at Portman Stadium in Ipswich.

The co-main event features super lightweights Pierce O’Leary of Dublin (12-0, 7 KOs) and Liam Dillon of Chingford, England (13-0-1, 3 KOs). The European and WBC International titles will be on the line.

BOXXER: Callum Simpson vs. Ivan Zucco

Callum Simpson fights for his hometown fans on Saturday. Photo: Boxxer

• Time: 2 pm ET / 11 am PT
• Location: Oakwell Football Ground, Barnsley, UK
• Broadcast: TrillerTV+

Another hometown hero, another stadium fight in the UK on Saturday. Super middleweight Callum Simpson of Barnley (17-0, 12 KOs) will face undefeated Ivan Zucco of Verbania, Italy (21-0, 18 KOs) for the European title. Both men have significant power, and this fight is not likely to make it to the final bell.

Most Valuable Promotions: Beatriz Ferreira vs. Maria Ines Ferreyra

• Time: 9 pm ET / 6 pm PT
• Location: Caribe Royale, Orlando, FL
• Broadcast: DAZN

Olympic gold medalist and IBF Lightweight champion Beatriz Ferreira of Brazil (3-0, 1 KO) defends her title against Maria Ines Ferreyra of Cordoba, Argentina (11-0-1, 6 KOs) in the main event of the Most Valuable Prospects series.

ProBox: Justin Pauldo vs. Juan Carlos Burgos

• Time: 5 pm ET / 2 pm PT
• Location: Boeing Center at Tech Port, San Antonio, TX
• Broadcast: ProBox TV

On this ProBox card from San Antonio, the main event puts Justin Pauldo of Orlando (18-2, 9 KOs) against veteran Juan Carlos Burgos of Tijuana, Mexico (36-8-3, 22 KOs).

ProBox has developed a well-deserved reputation for delivering all-action fights, with its matchmaking featuring rising stars, fighters working their way back from a single loss, and tough veterans who still have something to give. Pauldo is coming off a solid knockout victory in February over Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov of Tajikistan.

Burgos, a former world title challenger, has been mixing at a high level for years, swapping punches with the likes of Cuban Andy Cruz, champion Keyshawn Davis, Angel Fierro, Mikey Garcia, and Devin Haney. Burgos is tough as nails, and he’s never been stopped.

Pauldo is 30 and hitting his prime, ranked in the top 15 by both the WBC and the WBO, and will look to stake his claim to a world title fight with an impressive performance.

🥊 Sunday, June 8

Will we get a super fight between Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani in 2025? Photo: Mikey Williams, Top Rank Boxing

Teiken Promotions/ESPN: Junto Nakatani vs. Ryosuke Nishida

• Time: 4 am ET / 1 am PT
• Location: Ariake Arena, Tokyo, Japan
• Broadcast: ESPN Plus

The main event features one of Japan’s top talents not named Inoue, Junto Nakatani of Inabe, Japan (26-0, 19 KOs) against challenger Ryosuke Nishida of Osaka (8-0, 1 KO). Make no mistake, this is a showcase for Nakatani, who trains full time in Los Angeles with trainer Rudy Hernandez. Nakatani and Naoya Inoue are on an eventual collision course in one of the biggest fights that can be made worldwide. Enjoy Nakatani’s talents on display until then.

Also on the undercard is former kickboxer Tenshin Nasakawa (6-0, 2 KOs).

No Limit Boxing: Jai Opetaia vs. Claudio Squeo

• Time: 5 am ET / 2 am PT
• Location: Gold Coast Convention Centre, Broadbeach, Australia
• Broadcast: DAZN

The cruiserweight division has never been hotter or more competitive, thanks in large part to unified IBF World Cruiserweight and Ring Magazine champion Jai Opetaia of Sydney (27-0, 21 KOs). Opetaia is keeping himself busy until a unification opportunity presents itself, potentially with the winner of the Zurdo Ramirez vs. Yuniel Dorticos bout scheduled on June 28.

In the meantime, Opetaia fights at home for the devoted Australian fans against Claudio Squeo of Italy (17-0, 9 KOs). Squeo is a serious underdog in his first fight outside Italy. The card is called “Return 2 Paradise,” and who could disagree? Lots of regional Australian talents will be featured on the undercard.

🥊 Sunday, June 8, Turchi vs Volkovs

• Time: 10:30 am ET / 1:30 pm PT
• Location: Piazza Santa Croce, Florence, Italy
• Broadcast: ESPN Plus

More cruiserweight action rounds out the weekend. Italian cruiserweight contender Fabio Turchi (24-3, 16 KOs) looks to keep his world title hopes alive in front of the hometown crowd when he faces Latvia’s Milans Volkovs (11-3-2, 6 KOs) for the vacant WBO Global title in a ten-round main event.

Undercard action includes Top Rank-promoted junior welterweight prospect Hugo “The Fresh Prince of Monaco” Micallef against Marko Dmitrovic in an eight-rounder.

Since a loss to Richard Riakporhe, Turchi has gone 4-0 with two knockouts, including a six-round decision over Viktar Chvarkou last December. Volkovs returns after an eight-round decision win over Tommy Fletcher at London’s York Hall last October.

Micallef (10-0, 2 KOs) signed with Top Rank in 2021 after a decorated international amateur career. The 27-year-old is Monaco’s first pro boxer and one of its most prominent homegrown athletes. He made his U.S. debut on the Shakur Stevenson–Edwin De Los Santos undercard in November 2023. Dmitrovic (14-15-1, 7 KOs) is a 30-fight veteran from Bosnia and Herzegovina.