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Keyshawn
Davis vs. Jose Zaragoza & Nico Ali Walsh vs. Reyes Sanchez
Confirmed For Lomachenko vs. Commey Televised
Quadrupleheader On Dec. 11
Keyshawn Davis, the lightweight star who earned a silver
medal at the Tokyo Olympics, has a golden chance to shine on
one of boxing’s biggest platforms. Davis (3-0, 2 KOs), in
his first fight since signing a long-term deal with Top
Rank, will face Mexican veteran Jose Zaragoza (8-3-1, 2 KOs)
in a six-round bout Saturday, Dec. 11 on the undercard of
the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Richard Commey lightweight main
event.
Middleweight prospect Nico Ali Walsh (2-0, 2 KOs), grandson
of “The Greatest,” Muhammad Ali, will fight fellow unbeaten
Reyes Sanchez (6-0, 2 KOs) in the four-round televised
opener.
Lomachenko-Commey, an eight-round heavyweight showdown
between Jared Anderson and Oleksandr Teslenko,
Davis-Zaragoza and Ali Walsh-Reyes will air live on ESPN and
ESPN Deportes (simulcast on ESPN+) at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
following the 2021 Heisman Trophy Ceremony.
Davis, one of boxing’s most sought-after promotional free
agents, signed a long-term contract with Top Rank last
month. His notoriety soared following the Tokyo Olympics, a
run that included a knockout win over France's Sofiane
Oumiha and a close loss to Cuban legend Andy Cruz in the
gold medal match. Zaragoza has won three straight fights and
has never been knocked out as a pro.
The full undercard will stream live on ESPN+ at 5:30 p.m.
ET/2:30 p.m. PT and is scheduled to include the following
bouts:
Xander Zayas (11-0, 8 KOs), the rising Puerto Rican star and
frontrunner for 2021 Prospect of the Year, will fight
Italy’s Alessio Mastronunzio (9-1, 3 KOs) in a six-round
junior middleweight clash. Zayas is 5-0 with three knockouts
in 2021, including a fourth-round drubbing of Dan Karpency
in October on the Shakur Stevenson-Jamel Herring undercard.
Mastronunzio, who is making his American debut, is 4-0 in
2021.
Undefeated welterweight Pablo “Pretty Boy” Valdez (5-0, 4
KOs), the popular New York City ticket-seller from the Lower
East Side, is scheduled to fight Julio Cesar Sanchez (11-3,
6 KOs) in a six-rounder. Valdez fought Oct. 30 at Hulu
Theater at Madison Square Garden, outlasting Alejandro
Martinez in a toe-to-toe crowd-pleaser.
Kelvin Davis (2-0, 1 KO), the older brother of Keyshawn
Davis, will clash with Bryan Emmanuel Ramirez (1-1-1, 1 KO)
in a four-rounder at welterweight. Kelvin Davis also signed
with Top Rank last month.
In an eight-round battle of unbeaten junior welterweights,
John “El Terrible” Bauza (15-0, 6 KOs) will face Michael
“Boy Wonder” Williams Jr. (19-0, 12 KOs). Bauza is coming
off June’s second-round blitzing of Christon Edwards, while
Williams seeks to tally his sixth victory of 2021.
Staten Island-born featherweight prospect James “Crunch
Time” Wilkins (9-2, 6 KOs) hopes to thrill the home city
fans in an eight-rounder against Texas native Juan Tapia
(10-3, 3 KOs). Wilkins, who was homeless on the streets of
Staten Island early in his pro career, makes his Madison
Square Garden debut with hopes of graduating to contender
status.
Former Irish amateur superstar “Mighty” Joe Ward (5-1, 2
KOs) looks to make it six wins in a row against Britton
Norwood (10-3-1, 7 KOs) in a six-round light heavyweight
tilt. Ward suffered a freak knee injury in his October 2019
pro debut against Marco Delgado and lost via second-round
TKO. He avenged the loss with a one-sided decision over
Delgado in March. As an amateur, Ward was a three-time
European Championships gold medalist, a three-time World
Championships medalist, and a 2016 Olympian.
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