On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
Keyshawn Davis returns against Jose Pedraza on Thursday, Feb. 8 at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS (Jan 31, 2024) — U.S. Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn Davis is eager for a world title opportunity, but first he’ll need to get past a two-division world champion.
Davis will take on Jose “Sniper” Pedraza in a 10-round lightweight battle on Thursday, Feb. 8 at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
Davis-Pedraza will serve as the co-feature to the junior welterweight showdown between WBO and Ring Magazine world champion Teofimo Lopez and Jamaine Ortiz.
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Takeover Promotions and CES Boxing, tickets are on sale now at AXS.com.
Lopez–Ortiz and Davis-Pedraza will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.
Davis (9-0, 6 KOs), from Norfolk, Virginia, has graduated from prospect to contender as he continues to make his case for a world title shot. The 24-year-old is coming off an active 2023 in which he stopped Anthony Yigit via ninth-round TKO in April and shut out Francesco Patera by 10-round decision in July. In October, he defeated Philadelphia-born contender Nahir Albright via majority decision that was later ruled a no contest. Pedraza (29-5-1, 14 KOs), a two-division world champion from Puerto Rico, returns to lightweight following a junior welterweight campaign that included tough fights against Jose Zepeda and Lindolfo Delgado.
Following a recent training session at the Top Rank Gym in Las Vegas, this is what Davis had to say:
“I’m dialed in and focused. I’m pushing every day, training two or three times each day. Running, sparring, strength and conditioning. The work I’m putting in is starting to show.”
“I’m not counting down the days until the fight, I’m making these days count. This fight is only the beginning of how far I can go in my career.”
“This is a big fight for me and the only thing I can focus on. I bet Pedraza is doing the same thing. Fighting a guy like him, who has won multiple world titles, has made me lock in even more.”
“I give a lot of credit to Pedraza for taking this fight. He has fought a lot of former world champions with a ton of accolades and more fights and experience than me. Pedraza has been a main event fighter and will give me an opportunity to show everyone what I’m truly capable of doing. After I beat Pedraza, I become a main event fighter.”
More must-reads:
- No end in sight in Jonathan Kuminga-Warriors 'staring contest'
- NFL Draft intel: NFC team covets these skills of Texas QB Arch Manning
- The 'Multiple 100-RBI MLB seasons' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
TODAY'S BEST
Packers Get Worrisome Update on $77 Million Offensive Lineman
The Packers are banking on the offensive line making big strides this season, but may have suffered a setback during one of the first practices of training camp. According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, Aaron Banks went down with some sort of injury midway through Thursday’s practice. “Left guard Aaron Banks, who signed a four-year, $77 million contract in the offseason, did not finish the practice,” Demovsky noted for ESPN. “He appeared to drop out halfway through the one-hour, 54-minute session. He remained on the field with a helmet on but did not return.” The severity of whatever ailment Banks suffered is unknown at this time, but if he is forced to miss any meaningful practice time it could deal a blow to the Packers trying to build a strong chemistry and cohesion up front. Last season, for the San Francisco 49ers, Banks allowed just one sack but his 25 pressures ranked 105th in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb sends strong message after tempers flare at training camp
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb reminded teammates to keep their cool after the team had multiple skirmishes during the first two days of training camp. Rookie defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku and tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford got involved in a brief scuffle on Tuesday. At the following practice on Wednesday, a fight broke out between safety Markquese Bell and TE Tyler Neville. New head coach Brian Schottenheimer then stopped practice and pulled the whole team together. He said the next player who threw a punch would be kicked out of practice (via Joseph Hoyt of The Dallas Morning News). "We've got to be professional," Lamb said of the incident after practice, per ESPN's Todd Archer. "I get it that we have a lot of animosity and tension between us and understanding that we want to proclaim our dominance and show like aggressiveness on both sides of the ball, but then again, to what extent?" Fighting in training camp isn't uncommon. It's an intense environment. Many are trying to prove themselves before teams trim their rosters to 53 players. However, too much brawling can threaten to tear a locker room apart. A lack of discipline was also one reason the Cowboys replaced Mike McCarthy with Schottenheimer this offseason. According to NFLPenalties.com, Dallas drew the league's sixth-most flags (128) last season. Per Archer, there were no more fights after Schottenheimer pulled the team aside. Still, the incidents raise questions about his ability to maintain control. The coach spent Wednesday morning's meeting discussing two plays where DE Sam Williams was too physical and sent to the sideline. His players must not have received the message. It's good for Dallas that Lamb seems to be echoing Schottenheimer's sentiments, but the rookie HC still must get through to his team. Rebounding from a 7-10 season could already prove challenging for the Cowboys. As of Wednesday, ESPN's Football Power Index gives Dallas a 34.5% chance to make the playoffs. Infighting will make that even more difficult.
Yankees Top Trade Partners Make Deadline Decision
With just a week to go before the July 31 trade deadline passes, the New York Yankees should now have a better idea of how one of their top potential trade partners plans to operate in the coming days. Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, the Arizona Diamondbacks have told opposing clubs that they intend on moving some of their veteran players. The degree to which they sell is still up for debate, however, and will be determined by several factors. "The number of deals the DBacks complete before next Thursday’s trade deadline will hinge on a variety of factors," Rosenthal wrote. "The level of interest in their players. Whether the proposals they receive for their qualifying-offer candidates exceeds the potential draft-pick compensation. The assessment of club officials about the team’s ability to compete for the third wild-card spot." Eugenio Suárez, Arizona's All-Star third baseman who has posted 36 home runs and a .918 OPS this season in a contract year, is perhaps the top position player available and has been regularly connected to the Yankees given the club's need at the hot corner. Rosenthal noted that the Diamondbacks have scouted the Yankees' farm system amidst their interest in the 34-year-old. "The Diamondbacks, according to a source, are scouting the minor-league systems of at least some of the teams interested in Suárez," he wrote. "Those teams, according to sources and published reports, include the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners." Right-handed starting pitchers Zac Gallen (5.58 ERA in 121 innings) and Merrill Kelly (3.32 ERA in 122 innings), both of whom are rentals like Suárez, may also catch New York's eye as it looks to fortify the rotation behind All-Star lefties Max Fried and Carlos Rodón. Arizona came into the year with aspirations of contending in a loaded National League, but season-ending injuries to ace Corbin Burnes and closer Justin Martinez have spelled trouble for the club. The Diamondbacks are currently 50-53 and sit 5 1/2 games back of the final Wild Card spot in the NL. Suárez being dealt is a near certainty, which bodes well for the Yankees, but Arizona's performance over the next week will ultimately establish how many veterans the team ships off before the deadline. Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more! Yankees Pursuing Pirates All-Star Outfielder Analyst Proposes Wild Yankees, Pirates Trade MLB Insider Makes Brutal Yankees Prediction MLB Trade Rumors: Yankees Linked To Red-Hot Reliever Yankees Linked to Former Outfielder in Juicy Trade Rumor
Here’s What Happened at Practice 2 of Packers Training Camp
The Green Bay Packers’ defense dominated 2-minute and third-down periods during the second practice of training camp on Thursday. Here are the highlights from the second of three consecutive practices. Jordan Love’s Day Jordan Love is off to a solid start to his third training camp as Green Bay’s starter, going 9-of-14 on the day after going 8-of-12 on Wednesday. The 9-of-14 doesn’t accurately portray his day, though. Love’s first throw of the day was a bullet to receiver Jayden Reed, who was arrowing across the field for a big gain. In a live setting, safety Xavier McKinney would have hit Reed to the middle of next week. On the next pass, Love connected with receiver Mecole Hardman underneath; defensive end Lukas Van Ness charged unblocked into the backfield and safety Evan Williams almost made a diving interception. On the next play, Javon Bullard, who lined up in the slot, beautifully read an out to Romeo Doubs and broke up the pass. Love’s final segment of practice was a third-down period consisting of five plays. Love was 3-of-4 passing, with the three completions moving the chains. On third-and-9, it was Love to Doubs. On third-and-7, Love coaxed the defense offside and threw incomplete on a free play. On third-and-5, it was Love to Tucker Kraft for a first down. On third-and-4, Love fielded a low snap – a theme for the day – and overthrew Josh Jacobs, who had gotten behind Carrington Valentine and Xavier McKinney. Finally, on third-and-3, Love extended the play and used a lightning-fast release to connect with Matthew Golden between Bo Melton and Isaiah McDuffie for the first down. Player of the Day At cornerback this offseason, the Packers let Eric Stokes, Corey Ballentine and Robert Rochell walk in free agency and released Jaire Alexander. Their lone big addition was Nate Hobbs, who signed a four-year, $48 million contract in free agency. During a third-down period, Jordan Love got Hobbs to jump offside on third-and-7. On the next snap, third-and-5, Hobbs got his revenge. On an out to Dontayvion Wicks, Hobbs made a diving interception at the sideline and let the offense know all about it. “It was third down, I knew my personnel and I knew it was 87 (Romeo Doubs), I wanted to jump him, make him get into his route and apply the pressure on him so the quarterback knew he can’t just hold the ball, surprise him a little bit. The first hard count I didn’t go for. The second hard count, I’m like OK, cool, and I jumped offsides. A mistake we can’t have. “But I knew if I was to jump offsides, I had to make that (next) play to get us off the field, so I told my teammates, ‘That’s on me. I promise I’ll make that play.’ That builds trust. When your teammates are looking around and are like, that could lose a game, you’ve got to know as a man you’ve got to be accountable. I just told my guys, ‘I’ve got you all. I promise.’ That builds trust.” It was a big-time play for Hobbs, who also was all over a checkdown to Josh Jacobs early in practice. “He’s done a great job,” coach Matt LaFleur said before practice. “You can really see the guy’s a competitor, and that’s why we loved him on tape. He’s tough. He was primarily a nickel with the Raiders, and so it’s been pretty cool to watch him come in, played a lot more outside corner, but also we know what he can do, you know, if we want to put him inside.” Play of the Day During a backups-vs.-backups 2-minute drill, rookie quarterback Taylor Elgersma completed his first pass to set up a third-and-4 from the 31. Elgersma rifled a seam shot to tight end Ben Sims, which first-year safety Omar Brown grabbed for an interception. “We were in man. It’s been a while since I’ve been in man. I’m usually in the post,” Brown said. “Just playing man and playing ball, pretty much. Seen the throw, slipped it and caught it.” Brown, who intercepted eight passes at Northern Iowa before finishing with two seasons at Nebraska, went undrafted in 2024 and signed with the Broncos, who gave him $250,000 guaranteed. He failed to make their roster, though, and spent all of last season on Green Bay’s practice squad. He played special teams in two games. “It means something to me,” he said of the interception. “It’s my second camp so every pick means something to me. I just can’t wait to do it in a game, honestly.” Packers Injury Updates Training camp opened with seven players on injury lists. That’s down to five, as rookie seventh-round cornerback Micah Robinson (knee) and linebacker Quay Walker (ankle) passed their physicals. While Robinson returned to action after missing minicamp, Walker remained in the background, watching the defense from far behind the formation. Coach Matt LaFleur wouldn’t put a timeline on Walker’s return to practice. “It’s just good to get him back acclimated with the guys, communicating in the huddle, seeing it from that position,” LaFleur said. Six players did not practice: Walker (ankle), receiver Christian Watson (knee), linebacker Collin Oliver (hamstring), running back Amar Johnson (hamstring) and offensive lineman John Williams (back) and center Elgton Jenkins (back). Left guard Aaron Banks, the team’s big-ticket free agent, was on the field but did not participate during the second half of practice for unknown reasons. Packers Practice Highlights - Focusing on cornerback during training camp, Bo Melton made a pair of impressive plays on back-to-back snaps. First, he was in position to thwart a bootleg and scramble by Malik Willis. On the next play, he broke up a crossing route from Taylor Elgersma to Savion Williams. “Day 1 was good, did some nice things,” coach Matt LaFleur said before practice. “I just love the attitude and what he’s all about, what he represents. His story is awesome. Just how he’s had to earn everything in this league. And I think that’s a good lesson for all our players, whether you’re a first-rounder or seventh-rounder, a UDFA. It doesn’t matter. You got to earn it every day and he definitely has done that.” - With Elgton Jenkins missing a second consecutive day, both of the backup centers, Jacob Monk and Trey Hill, had wayward shotgun snaps. After Hill’s was wide right of Willis, he was briefly benched. - Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness had a race to the backfield to devour Josh Jacobs on a running play. On the next snap, the defense would let Jayden Reed turn the corner on a jet sweep. - On the first play of the second-team’s 2-minute drill, Isaiah Simmons rushed into the backfield, got his hands up and deflected Malik Willis’ pass, which was intercepted by Carrington Valentine. “Just playing what I was supposed to do on the call and just trusted what I was supposed to do and let my instincts take over,” Simmons explained. - The 2s got a re-do. On the first play, Willis threw a splendid corner route that was thrown just a few inches beyond receiver Julian Hicks. After a third-down completion from Willis to Savion Williams for a first down, second-year linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper blew up a screen to MarShawn Lloyd, which helped kill the drive. - This was quite a sequence by the defense. Edgerrin Cooper turned on the jets to tackle Jacobs near the line. On the next play, Jordan Love faked a toss and completed a pass to Dontayvion Wicks, but Rashan Gary might have had the sack. On the next play, Love was sacked by Isaiah McDuffie. - Much has been made of first-round pick Matthew Golden’s speed. His elusiveness was on display on a third-and-3 catch. First, he juked cornerback Gregory Junior. Then, he sidestepped Hopper. It led to a long catch and run. - The day ended with rookie defensive tackle Keith Randolph sacking Sean Clifford. We’ll have a story on Randolph this weekend. Packers Lineup Notes - The No. 1 offensive line consisted of Rasheed Walker at left tackle, Aaron Banks at left guard, Sean Rhyan at center, Jordan Morgan at right guard and Zach Tom at right tackle. Jacob Monk got some first-team snaps at center, which allowed Rhyan to move to his customary spot at right guard. With Banks missing about half of practice, Travis Glover stepped into the action. His goal is to “re-earn trust” after being benched in the playoff loss to the Eagles, when replaced Elgton Jenkins. Morgan has not taken any snaps at left tackle. - The No. 2 line consisted of Anthony Belton at left tackle, Donovan Jennings at left guard, Monk at center, Glover at right guard and Kadeem Telfort at right tackle. The No. 3 line consisted of Brant Banks at left tackle, J.J. Lippe at left guard, Trey Hill at center, Tyler Cooper at right guard and Belton at right tackle. - Once again, the first reps at safety in the base defense went to Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams, signaling that Williams is ahead of Javon Bullard. The first reps in nickel went to Keisean Nixon and Nate Hobbs at corner and Bullard in the slot. - In the punt-return rotation, it was Jayden Reed, Keisean Nixon, Matthew Golden, Mecole Hardman, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks. Hardman’s experience in that role is obvious; Wicks’ muffed one right off his private area. Packers Training Camp Schedule The Packers will practice again at 10:30 a.m. Friday. After an off-day on Saturday, the Packers will practice at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday and Monday. Monday will be the first in full pads. Quote of the Day Packers cornerback Nate Hobbs, on the empty banner alongside all the championship banners on the hallway leading from the locker room to the field. “They need to take them 1930s and ’40s down. Nah, I’m kidding. I’m playing. I’m playing. But I feel like it’s been too long. From 2010, there’s a big old gap. That’s not good enough. That’s not the standard, that’s not the Green Bay standard. If you’re coming here to just work and get better yourself, you’re wrong. There’s no point in coming here.”
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
