KEYSHAWN Davis stressed a desire to stay active with three or four fights in 2025, though it has today emerged the newly-minted WBO lightweight world champion will not face Edwin De Los Santos next.

De Los Santos (16-2, 14 KOs) called out the 135-pound titleholder on social media last month, though the Dominican southpaw's team are said to have now rejected a formal offer in writing, before asking for considerably more money than was verbally agreed.

ESPN Deportes' Salvador 'Chava' Rodriguez was first to report the fight's collapse.

Top Rank-backed titlist Davis (13-0, 9 KOs) had a June 7 date penciled in, per multiple sources, with a Norfolk homecoming and New York's Madison Square Garden the two mooted destinations for his second appearance of the calendar year.

He kicked off 2025 with a commanding fourth-round stoppage win over Denys Berinchyk (19-1, 9 KOs) to claim championship gold on February 14, then revealed a willingness to face several names before looking to unify.

Former WBA junior-welterweight champion Isaac Cruz (27-3-1, 18 KOs) and current WBA super-featherweight titleholder Lamont Roach Jr (25-1-2, 10 KOs) were among them after impressive performances during their recent bouts, though De Los Santos' name was also in the frame.

Ranked #8 by the WBA and #13 in the IBF rankings, De Los Santos hasn't boxed since a UD12 defeat by Davis' longtime friend Shakur Stevenson in November 2023, for the then-vacant WBC championship.

After that loss, he suffered an undisclosed hand injury in training before being diagnosed with a blood clot in his leg requiring several months' recovery. His promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, hoped he'd feature on Sebastian Fundora's undercard last month while a prospective May matchup against Frank Martin (18-1, 12 KOs) fell by the wayside, as this has too.

Two of the WBO's top three ranked contenders are scheduled to box one another on May 11 in San Diego, when Raymond Muratalla (22-0, 17 KOs) and Zaur Abdullaev (20-1, 12 KOs) face off for the interim IBF world title - Vasiliy Lomachenko holds the full version.

Britain's Sam Noakes (16-0, 14 KOs) is ranked No. 2 with the sanctioning body and recently vacated his EBU European lightweight title as he seeks a step-up towards world-level. However, the 27-year-old is already set to return in an eight-rounder on Queensberry's Nottingham card that same weekend.

His promoter, Frank Warren, told The Ring this past weekend that they're "still 10-14 days away" from announcing his opponent, where he'll end a six-month absence.

Elsewhere, the pool of available ranked contenders is shallow and few have world-class opposition on their resume. That includes his amateur rival Andy Cruz (5-0, 3 KOs), who is currently ranked at No. 1 with the WBC and #3 with IBF/WBA.

Meanwhile Davis has promised Abdullah Mason (18-0, 16 KOs) a future super-fight, though the timing is perhaps two years too early for an in-house world title fight between two of Top Rank's divisional talents at different stages of their respective careers.