Most Valuable Promotions announced Monday night that the exhibition boxing match between Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis, scheduled for Nov. 14 at Kaseya Center in Miami, has been canceled.
The decision comes days after Davis was accused in a civil lawsuit filed by ex-girlfriend Courtney Rossel of battery, aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
“Our team has worked closely with all parties to navigate this situation responsibly,” Nakisa Bidarian, CEO of Most Valuable Promotions, said in a statement. “While we will not be moving forward with this event, our plan still remains for Jake Paul to headline an event on Netflix in 2025. Details regarding a new date, location, Jake’s opponent, and additional bouts will be shared as soon as they are finalized.”
The highly anticipated exhibition fight between Davis and Paul was slated to headline a fight card on Netflix and had drawn significant attention because of the weight disparity between the two fighters. Davis (30-0-1, 28 KOs) is the current WBA 135-pound champion and one of the biggest stars in boxing, while Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) is significantly taller and last competed as a 200-pound cruiserweight. Paul is not nearly as accomplished as Davis but can rival him in terms of drawing power.
The fight was called off after the latest lawsuit in a long list of legal issues for Davis. In August, a domestic violence case filed against Davis by the mother of two of his three children was dropped. He has had numerous run-ins with the law over the years, including charges related to domestic violence and fleeing the scene of a car accident. Several of his cases have been dropped, but he was sentenced to a 90-day house arrest and three years of probation for a 2023 hit-and-run case in Baltimore.
After news of the latest lawsuit, Most Valuable Promotions reportedly pursued a replacement for Davis to keep the Nov. 14 event intact. Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou told TMZ Sports that he had been contacted by Paul’s team but declined the offer. Most Valuable Promotions reportedly also reached out to Ryan Garcia, Andre Ward and Nate Diaz.
Fans who purchased tickets to the event via Ticketmaster will be refunded, the promotion said.
