During a recent promotional video for DAZN, Keyshawn Davis rocked a T-shirt that reads “The Norfolk Redemption,” emblazoned by a photo of himself with outstretched arms.
Fittingly, Davis faces Nahir Albright at Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia, and live on DAZN, on Saturday night. It’s a homecoming fight that gives the 27-year-old a chance to make things right and redeem himself — something he needs to do.
The last time Davis was slated to headline in Norfolk, everything that could have went wrong, did … and then some.
Fresh off becoming the WBO lightweight world champion at 25 years old in February 2025, Davis was supposed to have a homecoming title defense at Scope Arena that June.
Instead, Davis tipped the scale 4.3 pounds over the lightweight limit, effectively stripping him of his title and canning his proposed headliner against Edwin De Los Santos.
Abdullah Mason slid into the main event and stopped Jeremia Nakathila in front of the Norfolk crowd there to see Davis.
While Mason was fighting, Albright told ESPN’s Mark Kriegel that he was jumped backstage by Davis and Davis’ brother, Keon Davis, a welterweight. That came after Albright defeated their brother, Kelvin Davis, during the co-main event.
The embarrassing debacle was a public relations nightmare for a charismatic personality and scintillating boxing star who should have never put himself in that kind of position.
Davis stayed away from the ring the remainder of the year, soul searching toward a spiritual reawakening. His redemption story kicked off earlier this year at Madison Square Garden in New York City, where he stopped Jamaine Ortiz with a 12th-round TKO. The January 31 pay-per-view bout put even more eyes on Davis as he served in chief support to Shakur Stevenson’s near shutout of Teofimo Lopez.
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Now, it’s about the Norfolk leg of Davis’ redemption tour this weekend and ensuring he makes things right for all those hometown supporters who came out in droves to fill Scope Arena to see him last June, only to be let down.
“I’m always appreciative of my opportunities,” Davis tells DAZN News during a recent Zoom interview. “Boxing is a short game, so I gotta make sure I make the best out of every single opportunity and be professional every single time.”
This super lightweight bout against Albright carries its fair share of dubious history as well. The two fought in October 2023 with 'The Businessman' scoring the majority decision win, which was later overturned into a no contest after Davis tested positive for marijuana.
Despite that familiarity, Albright having defeated Davis’ brother and the alleged jumping of the Philadelphia fighter that followed, Davis insists “this is just another fight.”
“It’s the position that I put myself in and I've got to carry it,” he says. "I think I’ve been carrying it very well.”
Once again, Davis (14-0, 10 KOs) will be joined on the card by his brothers: Kelvin Davis (15-1, 8 KOs) faces Peter Dobson in a super lightweight tilt and Keon Davis (4-0, 3 KOs) clashes with Edwine Humaine Junior at welterweight.
“We’re all fighting together as a family,” Davis says of his DB3 (Davis Brothers Three) collective.
But with his name in the marquee, Davis looks to use this weekend in Norfolk to erase any memories of last June's fiasco and replace them with dazzling moments, instead.
“Every opportunity is a blessing, man,” he adds. “I’m taking this same opportunity as a blessing … just to show the city that this man, ‘Thee Amazing’ Keyshawn Davis, he’s back.”
Watch Keyshawn Davis and Nahir Albright on DAZN this Saturday, May 16, with your subscription. Monthly and annual options available.