Boxing News
Exclusive: Keyshawn Davis opens Top Rank-DAZN union against Nahir Albright
Apr 3, 2026 • 12:10 PM ET
Cris Esqueda / Matchroom BoxingFormer lightweight champion Keyshawn Davis has earned the honor of topping the first main event in Top Rank’s new streaming union with DAZN, meeting Nahir Albright in a 140lbs grudge match from a prior locker-room scuffle.
The May 16 card is being targeted for Norfolk, Virginia, the hometown of Davis 14-0 (10KOs), where he and Albright 17-2-1 (7KOs) first clashed following Albright’s majority decision victory over Davis’ brother, Kelvin Davis, on June 7.
Ranked first behind unbeaten four-division champion Shakur Stevenson by the WBO, 2020 US Olympic silver-medalist Keyshawn Davis, 27, came in a staggering 4.3lbs overweight for his planned main event versus Edwin De Los Santos on June 7, leading to the bout being scrapped as he surrendered his WBO lightweight belt.
After his brother lost, Keyshawn and brother Keon approached Albright, who claimed to ESPN he was jumped by the Davis brothers and was seen with swelling over the right eye that wasn’t present during his fight with Kelvin Davis.
Albright, 30, told reporters he was head-butted by Keyshawn Davis, and told ESPN that night: “They started walking up to me all tough, putting his head against mine, and then grabbed me. Then I was about to swing, but my team and everybody, they grabbed Keyshawn and everything, and it was crazy.”
Keyshawn Davis originally defeated Albright by majority decision in 2023, but the outcome in Texas was changed to a no-contest when Davis returned a sample positive for marijuana use.
Albright returned from that melee to fight former lightweight title challenger Frank Martin to an entertaining draw on the Ryan Garcia-Mario Barrios card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on February 21.
Keyshawn Davis most recently fought on January 31 at Madison Square Garden, making his 140lbs debut by knocking out Jamaine Ortiz on the Stevenson-Teofimo Lopez card.
Top Rank, which had been without a broadcast deal since its union with ESPN ended in July, announced a multi-year alliance with DAZN in March, joining there fellow major promoters Matchroom, Queensberry and Golden Boy.
Lance Pugmire has been a full-time boxing writer for nearly 20 years, serving now as BoxingScene’s U.S. Senior Writer and assistant producer for ProBoxTV’s “BoxingScene Today.” Pugmire capped a near 20-year career at the Los Angeles Times (sports investigations, NHL/MLB beat work, law enforcement/courts and boxing/UFC) to join The Athletic, and then USA Today. Pugmire’s stint at The Times started with the first Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez fight and the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jnr then-record pay-per-view, leading through a slew of ringside assignments at major bouts, including Mayweather-Pacquiao, Mayweather-Canelo and the Canelo-Golovkin trilogy. Lance’s appreciation for boxing is rooted in his admiration and appreciation for the fighters, gladiators who have proven to be the most forthcoming and candid of all the athletes he has interviewed over a career dating to 1990. Lance was honored to be named the 2022 winner of the Boxing Writers Association of America Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence and he’s collected many BWAA writing awards in categories ranging from breaking news to deep-dive long features.
