Keyshawn Davis Says He’ll Stop Paying Sanctioning Fees for World Titles

Keyshawn Davis says he’s no longer going to pay for sanctioning fees for world titles that he wins, if any. He supports Terence Crawford for refusing to pay the WBC’s sanctioning fee for the title he won from Canelo Alvarez. He doesn’t believe it’s fair for the four sanctioning bodies to charge a fee for the belts they award.

Will Keyshawn Still Fight for Titles?

Keyshawn (13-0, 9 KOs) didn’t say whether he’ll still fight for world titles. His being open about no longer paying sanctioning fees will put the governing bodies in a situation where they’ll need to decide whether a title will be available to him. It’s a negative for his career because it could affect whether he holds titles, and perhaps even his ranking.

How His Rankings Could Take a Hit

If you’re a sanctioning body, why would you want to rank a fighter who is openly saying he won’t pay a fee if he captures the title? Being removed from the rankings would be a disaster for Keyshawn because he’s already invisible due to his inactivity.

Davis ranked #1 with the WBO at 140, and his friend/brother Shakur Stevenson has already said he’s going to “give” the title to him after he beats champion Teofimo Lopez on January 31st. Even if it were possible to gift a title to Keyshawn, it’s not going to work if he’s going to refuse to pay the sanctioning fee.

“I never understand that why when we become a champion, we have to pay for a belt. Keep that s***. Keep it,” said Keyshawn Davis to Fight Hub TV, rebelling against having to pay sanctioning fees for titles. “I’m not going to work 14, 15 years and pay for something I worked for.

Why Keyshawn Thinks Belts Don’t Matter

Keyshawn has an attitude that suggests that he believes he’s an established star already, who is beyond belts. It’s not like that with him yet. He’s not on the level of Canelo Alvarez or Terence Crawford. He actually had to win titles to validate himself in the eyes of boxing fans who had never heard or seen him fight. Keyshawn has a misguided view of himself if he believes he’s a superstar.

His career has just begun, and he’s been well-manuevered by Top Rank thus far. They’ve steered him around all the sharks that might beat him, like Andy Cruz and Floyd Schofield. He’s been called out by Ernesto Mercado at 140, and hasn’t accepted that fight either.

“When I went to the [2020] Olympics, did I pay for that medal? [Silver]. If I walk into this arena without this belt, will these people still going to show up? Yes. So, keep the f**** belt. You’re not going to take my money,” said Keyshawn.

Refusing Fees Could Haunt His Career

If Keyshawn fights at home in Norfolk, Virginia, fans will know him, but not elsewhere. He can’t walk into an arena, not fight for belts against little-known opponents, and they’ll know who he is and want to see him in large numbers. Keyshawn’s resume is filled with no-names, and he refused to fight his four-time conqueror, Andy Cruz. He lost to the Cuban over and over again in the amateurs.

“A belt is a belt. A trophy is a trophy. One person can’t be giving out more money than the next sanctioning body.  So, I agree with Terence. I just don’t agree with paying for belts. That’s why. I don’t that to the one that I was under, the WBO. I told them, ‘I really don’t believe in that.’ And he explained why, and I was like, ‘Okay, but I still don’t agree with it.’ So, I’m always going to be for not paying for the belts. What the f*** are we paying it for?” said Keyshawn.