Keyshawn Davis Makes Decision On Title Fight

Keyshawn Davis has declined the opportunity to face fellow Top Rank fighter Lindolfo Delgado for the vacant IBF junior welterweight title because he plans to move up to welterweight.

The news was first reported by insider Dan Rafael on his Substack after confirming with Top Rank Boxing vice president Carl Moretti on Davis' plans.

Champion Richardson Hitchins recently vacated the 140 lb. belt in order to move up to welterweight himself, leaving the IBF to go through its procedures in their rankings for a contender willing to participate in negotiations to fight Delgado. He has been the IBF mandatory challenger, since last year.

Now, the organization is poised to order the 31 year old Mexican Delgado, 24-0, 16 KOs, to face Canadian Arthur Biyarslanov, 21-0, 17 KOs, who is promoted by Eye of the Tiger Promotions, for the vacant junior welterweight championship.

Former lineal/WBO junior welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez was next in line for the IBF after Delgado, but he also turned it down because he too is moving up to welterweight. Lopez was beaten decisively for the WBO 140 lb. crown by Shakur Stevenson in January.

Next, contender Oscar Duarte turned down the IBF possible vacant title bout with Delgado, because he is recovering from injured ear that required plastic surgery in his  victory on May 2nd and won’t available until around November.

So, Biyarslanov is next in the order.

Back to Davis, 15-0, 10 KOs. The 27 year old is trying to get his career back on track following a series of issues. Earlier this month he scored a unanimous decision over Nahir Albright in their rematch headlining a Top Rank Boxing card on May 16 in his hometown of Norfolk, VA.

Davis, a rising star and former Olympic Silver Medalist, had been stripped of his lightweight world title belt and his fight canceled for missing weight by 4 lb. last June. He then moved up to junior welterweight and has handily won both fights at that weight. However, he needed two tries to make weight for the Albright rematch.

Davis made his plans apparent in the ring post fight with Albright,

“Man, I’ll probably go to 147. I ain’t gonna lie. All this making weight stuff, it ain’t for me. As y’all can see, I ain’t good at making weight. I just know I can fight.”

In addition to Lopez and Hitchins, names like Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn, who are expected to fight each other in September are already in the welterweight division.

And, clearly, Davis has some name recognition and the talent to get himself into the mix for a much bigger fight than a Delgado vacant 140 lb. title bout.