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Andreas Hale
Publisher’s note: This story was published before Friday’s events when Keyshawn Davis failed to gain weight and his Saturday fight against Edwin de Los Santos was then canceled.
Las Vegas – WBO Lightweight Champion Keyshawn Davis remembers the day Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker entered a leisure center in his hometown of Norfolk, Virginia, for a local boxing event. Davis, then a pre -adolescent, was there to support his older brother, Kelvin, who was in competition on the map. Keyshawn, Kelvin and their young brother Keon – known as DB3 (Davis Brothers Three) – made dreams like children to leave “757” to become the world of boxing. According to the traces of other local legends of the Hampton Roads region, which includes Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Newport News, was a challenge due to the increase in crime rates, multigenerational poverty and the lack of affordable housing in the city.
“It is super difficult to get out of here because we have no resources that other cities have,” Davis told ESPN. “If an athlete wants to get out of the 757, he must be the golden child.”
And one of these legends entered the leisure center.
“As soon as (Whitaker) has crossed the door, all the attention was on him,” recalls Keyshawn while making the last preparations for the first row gymnasium in Las Vegas for his fight on Saturday with Edwin from Los Santos to Scope Arena in Norfolk.
Keyshawn was only 2 years old when Whitaker, a world champion with four divisions, had his last professional fight against Carlos Bojorquez in 2001, but he had heard the stories and saw enough videos on YouTube to know everything about “Sweet Pea” and had idolized. Thus, when the man widely considered as the largest defensive boxer ever seated next to Keyshawn to see Kelvin dominate his fight, the dream of being a world champion has become tangible.
“He was looking My brother Fight, “Keyshawn said, still incredulous at the moment.” He shouted, shouting instructions, and I could see that he was really in it. As a little brother, seeing a boxing legend of our city support my older brother meant the world for me. I looked at my big brother and “sweet pea” spoke to him.
“It is the day I realized that we had it. We can really fight, and we will get there.”
Whitaker helped the Davis Brothers by surrounding them in the gymnasium, giving them pointers and teaching them in boxing techniques before his death in 2019.
Although Davis has been the first world boxer since Whitaker to get out of Norfolk, he follows an extraordinary line of athletes from the region, such as the former NFL quarter-rear and the current head coach of Norfolk State Football Michael Vick, the NBA Allen Iverson icon and the leader of all time of NFL Bruce Smith, among others.
And when you look at the Keyshawn fights, you will see the mayor of Norfolk Kenny Alexander seated with Vick, Smith and Iverson to watch “The Business Man” apply his job. A group of legends supporting one of their own is not out of the ordinary in this area. There is a great pride to be part of this community.
“Support is in our DNA,” said Alexander in Espn. “This connection with the inheritance and the family may not be parents by blood, but you are a parent because you are part of the fabric of” 757 “. We do not take this light.
The idea of Introducing yourself to athletes is not new. Vick told ESPN that he had grown up seeing Whitaker at the local boys and girls club and spotted Smith in a Hampton University football match. These observations have helped to inspire his pursuit of greatness, he said, and just like those before him, Vick made the priority to pay it by supporting Davis in the same way.
“We have to introduce ourselves to Keyshawn,” said Vick, who looks at Davis since his Olympic race. “He is OUR Champion, so people like me, Bruce Smith, Mayor Alexander and Allen Iverson must present himself to let the world know how we support ours. Now when he goes to places, people know he has people like us in his network. We will make sure he is fine. “”
Davis sprang with a recent telephone call with Iverson and Vick, during which he sat down and listened to two athletes who change the situation of his region offer advice and their support to the young fighter.
“They excited me before my fight,” said Davis. “Do you know how crazy is it?”
Vick said that Saturday at Scope Arena will not be different from any other Davis fight, because the former global choice n ° 1 plans to be fun.
“We have to cherish these moments to see it,” said Vick. “As a city, we have to appreciate these moments because we can no longer get a Keyshawn fight in Norfolk. It is so good that all its fights will be in Las Vegas.”
Keyshawn has a long way to go before he corresponded to the success of Whitaker, who was gold medalist at the 1984 Olympic Games. However, at 26 with an Olympic silver medal of Tokyo 2020 games, he is on track.
Davis is the last high caliber talent to get out of “The 757”, but it is unlikely to be the last because of the composition of the region and the commitment of these hometown stars towards the community.
“Keyshawn grew up by idolatrating Pernell, not only for what he did inside the ring, but for what he meant and still means for (the Norfolk community),” said first -class president Bob Arum, in ESPN. “(Keyshawn) had taken the torch of fire, large” Sweet Pea “and is now a beloved figure in Norfolk and the seven cities. Keyshawn uses his platform to help the next generation of young men and women.”
With the municipal council The publication of the proclamation from June 2 to June 8 is the “Keyshawn Davis week” in Norfolk on Wednesday, Davis’ objective to follow in the footsteps of his idol in and out of the ring is to conclude.
“I always told myself that I was going to work in the city, so people know that I am the city and I am for the city,” said Davis. “I need people behind me so that we can take it as much as possible.”
Hall Fame athletes, the region has produced award -winning musicians at the Grammy Awards Pharrell, Timbaland, Missy Elliott and the late Ella Fitzgerald. The gymnast of the Olympic gold medal Gabby Douglas, the NBA champion Alonzo Mourning and the actors Wanda Sykes and Jay Pharoah also represent the region.
“You have a threshold of talent, and the secret sauce is the mixture of ideas, belief, dynamism and grain,” said Alexander about the rich and diverse talent swimming pool in the region. “This is what is different in Norfolk and” the 757 “. We are people who are trained to be perfect;
The movement is the reason why athletes accomplished as Vick come home and give back. Before taking the job at Norfolk State in December, Vick had a more lucrative offer on the other side of the country of the Sacramento state. But the triple quarter of the pro Bowl knew where his heart was and what he had to do.
“There was more money involved, but I transmitted all this to go home,” said Vick, who created the non -profit organization of the Vick Foundation in 2006 to support young at risk with programs after school in the Hampton Roads region. “While someone might think that it was a crazy decision, sometimes everything in life is not all about money. We have people in our community who really care about young people and who pay it.”
Giving it is also a huge motivation for Davis, but the cornerstone of all this is its success inside the ring.
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Keyshawn Davis claims the WBO light title with TKO of the 4th round
Keyshawn Davis wins via TKO in the fourth round to become the new WBO Lightweight champion at 135 pounds.
Davis, considered a future book fighter for book that trains with world champions such as Terence Crawford and Shakur Stevenson, has a style that is somewhere between Crawford’s vicious offensive and Stevenson’s elite technical capacity. Davis cultivated a database by being dominant and entertaining.
He only needed four laps to get tear before an unbeaten Ukrainian hunter Denys Berinchyk become world champion in February. He already targets fights at 140, 147 and 154 pounds and thinks that his best is still to come.
“When everything is said and done, I’m going to be one of the greatest of all time,” said Davis, who called for fights against Gervonta “tank” Davis And Teofimo Lopez. “I may not be the biggest star right now, so many of these guys don’t want to fight. I already have skills and capacities, but once I arrive at a certain status, they will no longer be able to run from me.”
Davis has the tools to change the situation like those before him, but Vick’s advice is that Keyshawn is aware of everything around him.
“It takes an unlimited quantity of discipline,” said Vick, who faced a litany of legal issues during his career, including the Bad Newz Kennells Dog Fighting Investigation In 2007, this led to a 23 -month prison sentence and a suspension of the NFL when he was at the top of his football career. “People do not understand the sacrifices that we must make daily to succeed. You can do everything correctly and everything in 30 seconds. And then that’s all they are going to talk about. Fortunately, he has good people around him and is disciplined. And I will be there to advise him whenever he needs me.”
Davis, who recently became a father, has a lot about his success and said he was focused on his goals.
“I told myself that I was not sure,” said Davis. “There is no pressure for me to succeed because success is the mentality of” 757 “. This is what Michael Vick had, that’s what Allen Iverson had, that’s what Pernell Whitaker has had and that’s what I have.