Jake Paul cancels Gervonta Davis fight over kidnapping allegations
Jake Paul's fight with professional boxer Gervonta Davis has officially been cancelled after the lightweight champion was accused of kidnapping and attacking an ex-girlfriend.
The pair were due to fight in Miami on 14 November, but now the YouTuber-turned-boxer is looking for a replacement after alarming allegations were brought against Davis by his former partner, Courtney Rossel, in a civil lawsuit.
Rossel has accused the 30-year-old of battery, aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and is seeking damages of over $50,000 (£38,000) as a result.
In the new complaint, Rossel also accused Davis of making threats to kill her, further alleging that there' had been 'at least' four previous incidents where he had 'physically assaulted and choked' her, according to BBC Sport.
Advert
Paul has already fought the likes of Mike Tyson and Tommy Fury in his fledgling boxing career, boasting an impressive win rate of 12 out of 13 fights.
On his social media, including X and Instagram, Paul referred to Davis as 'an actual walking human piece of garbage', and claimed that 'working with him is an absolute nightmare'.
“The unprofessionalism, the bizarre requests, the showing up hours late to shoots. To the numerous arrests and related accusations and lawsuits," the 28-year-old continued. “If you support this man, you support the most vile sin a man can commit."
He went on to claim that he didn't want to give Davis 'a platform to grow his fans and to grow his bank account', adding: "My company champions women.
“I’m so sorry to everyone involved. Mostly to the undercard fighters, to my team at MVP and to my team who worked so hard prepping for this fight.
“Sacrificing time with loved ones and kids just for this fool to lose his unintelligent mind again. It’s scary that devilish men like this can rise to the top of culture and sports, including in positions of power.”
Paul's company, Most Valuable Promotions, also issued a more formal statement after it was confirmed that the fight would be cancelled.
Nakisa Bidarian, CEO, said: “Our team has worked closely with all parties to navigate this situation responsibly.
“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 finalised.”
In July, Davis was previously arrested on misdemeanour domestic violence charges for allegedly assaulting another ex-girlfriend, and he was later released on a $10,000 bond before his scheduled court hearing later that month.
The case was later dropped, ESPN reports.
Davis has also been arrested in 2020 and 2022 on domestic violence charges. The US fighter has also spent time in jail in relation to a criminal hit-and-run case that occurred in 2020.
LADbible has contacted Davis's representatives for comment.
Topics: Jake Paul, Boxing, Celebrity News, Social Media
James Moorhouse