American lightweight contender Keyshawn Davis and Puerto Rican former world champion Jose Pedraza are set to feature in a Top Rank-promoted February 8th card. The event will be held at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on a Thursday, and will be headlined by Teofimo Lopez and Jamaine Ortiz.
Keyshawn Davis (9-0, 6 KO’s), 24, had already been expected to face 34-year old Jose Pedraza (29-5-1, 14 KO’s) but had to wait out the suspension imposed on Davis by the Texas Combative Sports Program (TCSP) after failing a drug test in the state of Texas―where his fight was being held. Davis tested positive for cannabis following his October 14th bout against Nahir Albright (16-2, 7 KO’s), which resulted in their match being overturned and ruled as a no-contest.
Davis’ suspension by the TCSP is set to expire on January 12, Davis will be eligible to fight Pedraza; though it should be noted that the suspension did not prohibit him from fighting in other states as each state holds different rules. In the state of Nevada where the Davis-Pedraza fight will be staged, the use of cannabis has been legalized.
Interestingly, Jose Pedraza will be moving down from super lightweight in order to face Davis. Pedraza’s last match occurred in February of last year and resulted in the Puerto Rican losing to American 140 lbs contender Arnold Barboza Jr. (28-0, 10 KO’s) by unanimous decision.
While Pedraza’s choice to move down to face an up-and-coming contender in Keyshawn Davis is commendable, the former WBO lightweight champion will undoubtedly enter the ring as the clear underdog due to several factors which revolve around his last match being a loss, his age―or more accurately the wear and tear on his body, his lack of activity and the fact he will be moving down 5 lbs after years of being accustomed to fighting as a super lightweight.
By choosing Pedraza as his opponent, Keyshawn Davis has decided to chose the path of least resistance in his journey to become world champion with Pedraza having not fought at lightweight since 2018. Moreover, the 135 lbs division is deemed to have some of the best talent in boxing, and there were better options for Davis to prove his worth without the need for him to move down a veteran to fight at a weight he hasn’t fought in for roughly five years.
