Nahir Albright was left for dead.
This past Saturday night, the Davis brothers were supposed to have their coming out party as Keon, Kelvin, and Keyshawn were scheduled to appear on the same card in Norfolk, Virginia.
Keyshawn failing to make weight and later being removed from the event saw older brother Kelvin expected to steal the show in a reschuffled chief support.
Kelvin and Albright gained more attention as a consequence. With his younger brothers on the sidelines, Kelvin promised to hand out a one-sided beating. But, by the time the final bell rang, Kelvin was lumped up physically and mentally broken after a first career defeat.
Having easily notched a career-best win in his back pocket, Albright (17-2, 7 KOs) is ready to move on to the big leagues. When it comes to facing the very best, it gets no bigger than
Gervonta 'Tank' Davis at lightweight.
"I'll fight Tank," Albright said on a self-recorded video.
The 29-year-old may need to grab a ticket and get in line. From 140 pounds and downwards, practically everyone wants a shot at the pound-for-pound star, The Ring's top-ranked lightweight. However, while Albright feels he's earned it, Davis is already occupied.
It hasn't been officially announced, though all signs point to Davis and
Lamont Roach squaring off in a
much-anticipated rematch on August 16, five months removed from their first meeting at Brooklyn's Barclays Center -
a surprising 12-round majority draw.
Roach pushed past the naysayers and fought like a man possessed, refusing to crumble when Davis (30-0-1, 28 KOs) landed cleanly on his chin and the bright lights didn't phase him either, justifying his standing as a world champion in the division directly below at junior lightweight. Their rematch is essentially a done deal, though anything can happen.
In the event Roach isn't next up and Albright is arbitrarily picked, not least after a headline weekend surprisingly stealing the show, the New Jersey native would be the happiest man in the room.
Having dismissed any notions of a perceived gatekeeper status, he was elevated to a bonafide contender after ruining the script with a polished performance over ten rounds at the weekend. Although few, if any, would give him a legitimate chance of staying competitive against Davis, that doesn't matter much as far as he's concerned.
Albright isn't asking for your support, he merely wants a chance to prove he has the minerals needed to compete with one of the world's best fighters.
"I got something for Tank."