Keyshawn Davis vs Nahir Albright 2 prediction: Who will win and how

The question coming out, at first, was how Keyshawn would handle being made to look a good bit less than spectacular. He got back to work, easily beating Jose Pedraza, Miguel Madueno, and Gustavo Lemos in 2024, before taking at Denys Berinchyk and the WBO lightweight title in 2025. Davis had probably his best showing yet in that one, trouncing Berinchyk inside of four rounds.

But then the out-of-ring issues struck again. Davis missed weight for a scheduled title defense in June 2025, vacating his title and not even getting to fight. Then came the dust-up with the Albright camp backstage. Davis voluntarily took time away from boxing, and has returned as a 140 lb fighter, saying he’s more focused, matured, and has put his problems in the rearview. He looked pretty damn sharp in January, dominating Jamaine Ortiz and scoring a 12th round stoppage, seemingly flipping a switch and deciding to end what had been a one-sided fight before it could reach the final bell.

Nahir Albright’s recent form

Albright, 30, hasn’t had the sort of path his opponent has had. The Philadelphia native turned pro in 2016 on a Lou DiBella card in Mashantucket, Connecticut, and he lost a four-rounder to also-debuting Anthony Laureano. But while he doesn’t appear likely to join the likes of Bernard Hopkins or Juan Manuel Marquez as fighters who lost their pro debuts and became P4P greats and Hall of Famers, Albright stuck to it and has turned into a good pro.

Davis has had the hype machine on him since he turned pro. He was quite bold to sort of “audition” for both Matchroom and Top Rank to see what both major companies would offer him, before settling on Top Rank, and getting two of his brothers signed in the process. He knew both companies and more would want to sign him, so he had that leverage even early on, and he used it.

Albright has never had that path. Keyshawn’s first five fights were at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, Caesars Palace Dubai, AT&T Stadium in Texas, Madison Square Garden, and the MGM Grand in Vegas. Albright had to grind through places like the Claridge Hotel & Casino and the Showboat in Atlantic City, Parx Casino in Bensalem, PA, and the Pennsbury Racquet Club in Morrisville, PA. By the time he made it to Vegas, he was 27, a 17-fight professional, and at the Palms, where he upset Karlos Balderas.

His only loss — officially — since that pro debut came to Jamaine Ortiz in 2022. His wins over Jeremy Hill and Michael Dutchover kind of put him on the map, he hung around with Ortiz in defeat, then beat Estivan Falcao and Balders in 2022-23 before that fight with Keyshawn. His win over Kelvin Davis last year was no real surprise; Kelvin is a low-ceiling pro, decent but doesn’t have the tools of a real contender.

Albright’s most recent fight might have been his best outing yet. He went to a draw with former lightweight titleholder Frank Martin on February 21 in Vegas, and he could easily have gotten the nod in that one, though the draw (and it was a true draw, 95-95 on all cards) was entirely fair.

He’ll have to be even better than he was that night to win on Saturday.

Who will win Keyshawn vs Albright 2?

As we said earlier this week, Keyshawn is a serious talent when he’s serious about his talent. He has sincere pound-for-pound list type ability in there, he’s well-schooled, he’s smart, and he can be dominant.

Was the first fight with Albright sort of a blip? He won that fight, other than it being over-turned, but it was a tough night. Was Davis distracted out of the ring? Did, in fact, the marijuana he failed the test for impact if not enhance his performance? Was it just an off-night? Had he not taken Albright as seriously as he should have?

If the latter, that would not make Keyshawn a rarity. Boxers like Davis, with that sort of hype, that sort of early success, that sort of amateur background, will always run into someone who gives them problems they didn’t expect. However the result turns out, it’s about how they respond, change, and whether or not they get better going forward. Keyshawn was looking sharp before his further issues last year. He came back looking sharp this year.

Albright’s a good fighter. He’s tough, he’s cagey, he makes the most of his physical abilities. It’s possible he simply has a read on Keyshawn Davis and is a rough style matchup for him. A lot of great fighters over the years have come across those type of opponents, where seemingly they have the clear edge, but it just doesn’t really play out that way when the bell rings. “Styles make fights” is such a standard saying for a reason. It’s true.

I get the feeling Keyshawn will shine on Saturday, though. Whatever emotion he has about this rematch seems to be held in check this week. If he’s focused, if he’s really studied up and prepared for this one, he’ll win it in a rout and probably stop Albright, who is tough, but Keyshawn has special gears he can get to that Albright just can’t. Albright’s chances lie in the hope that his style will just always give Davis fits, and maybe, too, that if Davis fights a little too emotionally, he’ll make mistakes and Nahir can make him pay for them.

Prediction: Keyshawn Davis by TKO in rounds 7-10