Vick, Iverson ... Keyshawn? Norfolk roots connect Davis to sports legends

LAS VEGAS -- WBO lightweight champion Keyshawn Davis remembers the time Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker walked into a recreational halfway successful his hometown of Norfolk, Virginia, for a section boxing event. Davis, past a preteen, was determination to enactment his older brother, Kelvin, who was competing connected the card. Keyshawn, Kelvin and their younger member Keon -- known arsenic DB3 (Davis Brothers Three) -- had dreams arsenic kids of leaving "The 757" to go boxing satellite champions. Following successful the footsteps of different section legends of the Hampton Roads area, which includes Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Newport News, was a situation due to the fact that of rising transgression rates, multigenerational poorness and a deficiency of affordable lodging successful the city.

"It's ace hard to marque it retired of present due to the fact that we don't person resources different cities have," Davis told ESPN. "If an jock wants to marque it retired of The 757, they person to beryllium the aureate child."

And 1 of those legends stepped into the recreation center.

"As soon arsenic [Whitaker] walked done the door, each of the attraction was connected him," Keyshawn recalled portion making last preparations astatine the Top Rank Gym successful Las Vegas for his combat Saturday with Edwin De Los Santos astatine Scope Arena successful Norfolk.

Keyshawn was lone 2 years aged erstwhile Whitaker, a four-division satellite champion, had his last nonrecreational combat against Carlos Bojorquez successful 2001, but helium had heard the stories and seen capable videos connected YouTube to cognize each astir "Sweet Pea" and idolized him. So erstwhile the antheral wide regarded arsenic the top antiaircraft boxer ever took a spot adjacent to Keyshawn to ticker Kelvin predominate his fight, the imagination to beryllium a satellite champion became tangible.

"He was watching my brother fight," Keyshawn said, inactive successful disbelief astatine the moment. "He was hollering, shouting instructions, and I could spot helium was truly into it. As a small brother, to spot a boxing fable from our metropolis enactment my older member meant the satellite to me. I looked up to my large brother, and 'Sweet Pea' was talking to him.

"That was the time I realized that we got it. We tin truly fight, and we're going to marque it."

Whitaker helped the Davis brothers by being astir them successful the gym, giving them pointers, and teaching them boxing techniques earlier helium died successful 2019.

Though Davis is the archetypal satellite champion boxer since Whitaker to travel retired of Norfolk, helium follows successful an bonzer enactment of athletes from the area, specified arsenic erstwhile NFL backmost and existent Norfolk State caput shot manager Michael Vick, NBA icon Allen Iverson and the NFL's all-time sack person Bruce Smith, among others.

And erstwhile you look ringside astatine Keyshawn's fights, you'll spot Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander seated with Vick, Smith and Iverson to ticker "The Businessman" use his craft. A radical of legends supporting 1 of its ain isn't retired of the mean successful this area. There's large pridefulness successful being portion of this community.

"The enactment is successful our DNA," Alexander told ESPN. "This transportation to bequest and household whitethorn not beryllium kin by blood, but you're kin due to the fact that you are portion of the cloth of 'the 757.' We don't instrumentality that lightly. He's 1 of america and truthful gets unconditional support."

THE IDEA OF showing up for the athletes is thing new. Vick told ESPN helium grew up seeing Whitaker astatine the section Boys & Girls Club, and erstwhile spotted Smith astatine a Hampton University shot game. Those sightings helped animate his pursuit of greatness, helium said, and conscionable similar those earlier him, Vick has made it a precedence to wage it guardant by supporting Davis the aforesaid way.

"We person to amusement up for Keyshawn," said Vick, who has been watching Davis since his Olympic run. "He's our champion, truthful radical similar me, Bruce Smith, Mayor Alexander and Allen Iverson person to amusement up to fto the satellite cognize however we enactment our own. Now, erstwhile helium goes places, radical cognize helium has radical similar america successful his network. We're going to marque definite he's each right."

Davis gushed implicit a caller telephone telephone with Iverson and Vick, during which helium sat and listened to 2 game-changing athletes from his country connection proposal and their enactment for the young fighter.

"They were hyping maine up earlier my fight," Davis said. "Do you cognize however brainsick that is?"

Vick said that Saturday astatine Scope Arena volition beryllium nary antithetic from immoderate different Davis combat arsenic the erstwhile No. 1 wide prime plans to beryllium ringside.

"We person to cherish these moments to spot him," Vick said. "As a city, we person to admit these moments due to the fact that we whitethorn not get a Keyshawn combat successful Norfolk again. He's truthful bully that yet each of his fights volition beryllium successful Las Vegas."

Keyshawn has a agelong mode to spell earlier helium matches the occurrence of Whitaker, who was a golden medalist astatine the 1984 Olympic Games. However, astatine 26 years aged with an Olympic metallic medal from the 2020 Tokyo Games, he's good connected his way.

Davis is the latest high-caliber endowment to travel retired of "The 757," but it's improbable he'll beryllium the past due to the fact that of the constitution of the portion and these hometown stars' committedness to the community.

"Keyshawn grew up idolizing Pernell, not lone for what helium did wrong the ring, but for what helium meant and inactive means to [the Norfolk] community," Top Rank president Bob Arum told ESPN. "[Keyshawn] had taken the torch from the late, large 'Sweet Pea' and is present a beloved fig successful Norfolk and the Seven Cities. Keyshawn is utilizing his level to assistance the adjacent procreation of young men and women."

With the metropolis council issuing the proclamation that June 2 done June 8 is "Keyshawn Davis Week" successful Norfolk connected Wednesday, Davis' extremity to travel successful the footsteps of his idol successful and retired of the ringing is coming to fruition.

"I ever told myself that I was going to enactment wrong the city, truthful the radical cognize that I americium the city, and I americium for the city," Davis said. "I request the radical down maine truthful we tin instrumentality this arsenic acold arsenic possible."

ALONG WITH HALL of Fame athletes, the country has produced Grammy Award-winning musicians Pharrell, Timbaland, Missy Elliott and the precocious Ella Fitzgerald. Olympic golden medal gymnast Gabby Douglas, NBA champion Alonzo Mourning and comedians Wanda Sykes and Jay Pharoah besides correspond the area.

"You person a melting cookware of talent, and the concealed condiment is that mixing of ideas, belief, thrust and grit," Alexander said of the area's affluent and divers endowment pool. "That's what's antithetic astir Norfolk and 'the 757.' We're radical who aren't trained to beryllium perfect; we are trained to beryllium consistent. Norfolk volition commencement accordant talent. Some radical are lone determination for a moment. We're not infinitesimal people. We are a movement."

The question is the crushed accomplished athletes similar Vick travel location and springiness back. Before taking the occupation astatine Norfolk State successful December, Vick had a much lucrative connection connected the different broadside of the state astatine Sacramento State. But the three-time Pro Bowl backmost knew wherever his bosom was and what helium needed to do.

"There was much wealth involved, but I passed each that up to travel home," said Vick, who established The Vick Foundation nonprofit enactment successful 2006 to enactment at-risk younker with after-school programs successful the Hampton Roads area. "While idiosyncratic mightiness deliberation that was a brainsick decision, sometimes everything successful beingness ain't each astir money. We person radical successful our assemblage who truly attraction astir the younker and determination into them."

Giving backmost is besides a immense information for Davis, but the cornerstone of it each is his occurrence wrong the ring.

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Keyshawn Davis claims WBO lightweight rubric with 4th-round TKO

Keyshawn Davis wins via TKO successful the 4th circular to go the caller WBO lightweight champion astatine 135 pounds.

Davis, regarded arsenic a aboriginal pound-for-pound combatant who trains with satellite champions specified arsenic Terence Crawford and Shakur Stevenson, has a benignant that falls determination betwixt Crawford's vicious discourtesy and Stevenson's elite method ability. Davis has cultivated a instrumentality basal by being ascendant and entertaining.

He needed conscionable 4 rounds to teardrop isolated antecedently undefeated Ukrainian combatant Denys Berinchyk to go a satellite champion successful February. He's already targeting fights astatine 140, 147 and 154 pounds and believes his champion is yet to come.

"When it's each said and done, I'm going to beryllium called 1 of the top of each time," said Davis, who has called for fights against Gervonta "Tank" Davis and Teofimo Lopez. "I whitethorn not beryllium the biggest prima close now, truthful a batch of these guys don't privation to instrumentality a accidental warring me. I already person the accomplishment and ability, but erstwhile I scope a definite status, they won't beryllium capable to tally from maine immoderate longer."

Davis has the tools to go a crippled changer similar those earlier him, but Vick's proposal is for Keyshawn to beryllium conscious of everything astir him.

"It takes an unlimited magnitude of discipline," said Vick, who faced a litany of ineligible issues during his career, including the Bad Newz Kennels canine warring investigation successful 2007 that led to a 23-month situation condemnation and NFL suspension portion astatine the highest of his shot career. "People don't recognize the sacrifices we person to marque connected a regular ground to beryllium successful. You tin beryllium doing everything close and screw it each up successful 30 seconds. And past that's each they're going to speech about. Fortunately, helium has bully radical astir him and is disciplined. And I'll beryllium determination to counsel him whenever helium needs me."

Davis, who precocious became a father, has a batch riding connected his occurrence and said helium is focused connected his goals.

"I told myself that I volition not fumble," Davis said. "There's nary unit for maine to win due to the fact that occurrence is the mentality of 'The 757.' That's what Michael Vick had, that's what Allen Iverson had, that's what Pernell Whitaker had and that's what I have. I volition amusement you that I americium undeniable and enactment connected for my city."