LAS VEGAS -- Keyshawn Davis certainly wasn't at his best when he fought Nahir Albright on Oct. 14 in Rosenberg, Texas. He was sluggish and not as sharp as he'd been in the past, but he clearly did enough to win. He felt he hurt Albright twice and should have stopped him instead of letting it go to the scorecards.
He claimed a majority decision victory, but when marijuana showed up in his system following his post-fight anti-doping test, the bout was changed to a no-contest.
Smoking marijuana is hardly a crime in 2024 and changing the outcome of the fight seems like a vast overreaction. For Davis, though, it was a blessing.
A silver medalist in 2021 in the Tokyo Olympics, Davis is one of the best young talents in boxing, and experts from every corner have predicted stardom for him. Davis, though, has had his issues en route to his 9-0 record heading into Thursday's bout on ESPN at Michelob Ultra Arena against Jose Pedraza. He was having stomach issues and went to the UFC's Performance Institute, where it was determined he had acid reflux and needed to change his diet.
But in his win over Francesco Patera on July 22 and the no-contest with Albright, Davis didn't feel like an uber prospect.
Asked why he wasn't at his best against Albright, Davis didn't hestitate to say, "My confidence. I know I always show a lot of confidence, and that's just who I am. But for I'd say the past two fights, my confidence hasn't really been there. I've just been fighting off my talent and my will to win. But I feel like coming into this one, there's nothing that's going to slow me down." He said going through the trials and tribulations of everyday life adversely affected his confidence.
He's optimistic about showing his true self against Pedraza, the biggest bout of his pro career to this point, in large part because of two changes he made after he received what could have been taken as devastating news, that his win over Albright had been turned to a split-decision.
He's gotten closer to God and he stopped smoking marijuana. Losing the win over Albright was kind of a turning point.
"It impacted me in a great way, I would say," Davis said. "It made me reflect on myself and, like, rules are rules. You break 'em and things happen. I was mad at first when it got taken away, over marijuana? A lot of guys got caught with PEDs and steroids and they just got a slap on the wrist. ... It made me reflect on myself. It made me put the weed down, for sure. It wasn't the suspension that made me put the weed down. It was God that did. It just got me thinking a lot about how I can do better. I'm the kind of person where, when somebody tells me I'm doing something wrong, I'm not going to keep doing the same wrong. That's just me and it made me think how I could be better."
Davis said giving up marijuana had another, unexpected benefit. It's helped cure a lot of his digestive issues.
"[Quititng marijuana] has had a major impact upon my digestive system," Davis said. "I tried to change my diet while still smoking weed, like putting down coffee. [I was] eating candy, eating chips, [drinking] soda. I put down a lot of the bad stuff but I was still smoking weed. Every during fight week, I was still smoking. I feel like definitely that was the major impact that was on my life.
"I had been dealing with my mental health, and I felt like I needed weed. As I got closer with God, Jesus Christ, God, He made me realize I don't need nothing but Him. Ever since I put the weed down and got closer with God, I feel I've been a better person."
The key professionally is to be a better fighter and to harness that enormous talent he posseses. Pedraza is a veteran who is 29-5-1 with 14 KOs and once held a world title. He's been in there with the elite, including Gervonta Davis.
He feels he's on the verge of delivering a breakout performance that captures the attention of the boxing world.
"That's definitely the plan," he said. "I'm going to go in there and try to have some fun. I love fighting. That's what I love to do. I love boxing. I love fighting. If this is going to be the breakout fight, let it happen, but I'm going to go in there and try to have fun."