NEW YORK CITY — Norfolk native Keyshawn Davis will return to the ring for his first fight in nearly a year, taking on Jermaine Ortiz at Madison Square Garden on January 31.
The fight is billed as the co-main event, alongside New York’s Teofimo Lopez defending his World Boxing Organization and The Ring Junior Welterweight titles against Newark's World Boxing Council Lightweight Champion, Shakur Stevenson.
It will be Davis' first fight since he won the WBO title from Denys Berinchyk by knockout at Madison Square Garden in February 2025 — a title he vacated when he did not make weight before a Norfolk fight in June.
Watch related: Keon Davis wins bout, fans react to Keyshawn cancellation
The June event was billed as a return to the ring for all three Davis brothers — also known as DB3 — at their hometown venue, Norfolk Scope, after they swept their fights in November 2024.
Keyshawn easily handled Gustavo Lemos in that fight, defeating him by knockout in the second round in front of a sold-out hometown crowd.
But after Keyshawn's weight miss, the June event was further overshadowed by allegations that Keyshawn and Keon, the only brother to win his fight, went into the locker room of Nahir Albright after he handed Kelvin his first professional defeat, and allegedly "jumped" him.
Watch previous coverage: Keyshawn Davis misses weight ahead of title defense
Video shared with WTKR News 3 showed a scuffle outside the locker room, and Albright appeared with a knot on his forehead in post-fight interviews that was not visible after the fight. He said Keyshawn "headbutted" him.
"I think Kelvin was trying to break it up," Albright recalled.
ESPN reported that at least one Davis brother was escorted out of the arena by police. DB3 was not available for comment following the incident, according to a Top Rank spokesperson and neither Keyshawn nor Kelvin spoke to the media on fight night, however Kelvin Davis issued an apology via social media the next day:
"On behalf of DB3 we apologize for conducting ourselves in that way," the statement read in part. "Tension was high and emotions got the best of us we will be back and better and more professional its ups and downs with this and we gone take what comes with it…. With that being said WE DIDDNT JUMP NOBODY, but keep believing the media thats twisting narratives..."
Davis will fight Ortiz as a welterweight.
