Most Valuable Promotions announced Monday evening that the exhibition boxing match between Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis scheduled for November 14 at the Kaseya Center in Miami has been canceled.
The dismissal comes days after Davis was charged in a civil lawsuit filed by ex-girlfriend Courtney Rossel with battery, aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
“Our team has worked closely with all parties to responsibly handle this situation,” Nakisa Bidarian, CEO of Most Valuable Promotions, said in a statement. “While we will not be moving forward with this event, we still plan for Jake Paul to headline the Netflix event in 2025. Details on the up-to-date date, location, Jake’s opponent and additional fights will be shared as soon as they are finalized.”
The highly anticipated exhibition fight between Davis and Paul was scheduled to headline the Netflix fight card and attracted a lot of attention due to the weight difference between the two fighters. Davis (30-0-1, 28 KO) is the current WBA 135-pound champion and one of boxing’s biggest stars, while Paul (12-1, 7 KO) is much taller and most recently competed in the 200-pound cruiserweight division. Paul isn’t as talented as Davis, but he can compete with him in terms of drawing power.
The fight was canceled after the latest lawsuit, part of Davis’ long list of legal problems. In August, a domestic violence case brought against Davis by the mother of two of his three children was dismissed. He had numerous run-ins with the law over the years, including charges related to domestic violence and leaving the scene of a car accident. Several of his cases were dismissed, but he was sentenced to 90 days of house arrest and three years probation for a 2023 hit-and-run case in Baltimore.
Following news of the latest lawsuit, Most Valuable Promotions was reportedly seeking a replacement for Davis to keep the Nov. 14 event intact. Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou told TMZ Sports that Paul’s team contacted him, but he declined the offer. Most Valuable Promotions also reportedly reached out to Ryan Garcia, Andre Ward and Nate Diaz.
According to the promotion, fans who purchased tickets to the event through Ticketmaster will receive a refund.