Norman immediately took action and looked sharper from the first round, putting Wagner on the defensive with difficult right hands and quick combinations. Wagner tried to stay dynamic early, but Norman’s speed and power quickly separated the two fighters.

The finish came in the second round when Norman dropped Wagner with a bulky right hand for the first time in the exchange. Wagner got up, but Norman quickly returned to the attack and moments later scored another knockdown with a combination that seriously injured Wagner.

After the second knockdown, Wagner indicated he could not continue the fight, which led to the referee waving the fight after a brief consultation with the ringside doctor.

Norman said: “I came out trying to take his head off. I took a substantial swing. But then I decided to take it straightforward, work on my jab and stick to my fundamentals. And that’s when I got the job done.”

“I was thinking about working on the body shot. I looked at him and saw he wasn’t very mighty in the stomach.”

“I learned a lot with Ronnie Shields. I’m calmer and more composed. This ring is my home now. We’ll see what happens next. No matter what, I’ll take care of business.”

The performance was an critical return for Norman after losing his WBO welterweight title to Haney last November. Norman was knocked down in the third round of that fight before losing a wide decision, but he showed no hesitation in his first appearance since the defeat.

Norman improved to 29-1 with his 23rd knockout victory, while Wagner dropped to 19-3. The quick finish also puts Norman in good position for bigger fights in the welterweight division as he tries to get back into title contention.

Keyshawn Davis returned home to Norfolk and finally closed the book on Nahir Albright, though not before frustration simmered from the fight and briefly threatened to turn on him.

Davis survived a mid-fight scare and a two-point deduction before defeating Albright by unanimous decision at Scope Arena during the inaugural DAZN Top Rank event.

Davis vs. Albright fight

The lightweight fighter won twice by scores of 117-109 and 118-108 in a fight that brought additional pressure after an overturned result from their first meeting in 2023.

Davis also entered the contest being analyzed after initially making the lightweight limit and later returning to the scale to gain 140 pounds.

From the first round, Davis looked determined to leave no doubt. The Norfolk star landed solid punches, taunting and smirking at Albright, gradually increasing the pressure in the third and fourth rounds as his right hand began to land consistently.

However, Albright did not agree to disappear quietly.

The Philadelphian caught Davis with a pointed right hand in the fifth round that suddenly changed the atmosphere in the arena and forced the hometown fighter to react.

Controversy in the seventh round

As the clinch exchanges became more heated, Davis lost his composure in the seventh round, picking up Albright and throwing him to the canvas during a break in the action.

The referee deducted two points.

Instead of slowing Davis down, the incident seemed to kick him into another gear. He came back and shot with more urgency, leading with right hands through the middle rounds before landing combinations tardy to try to force a stoppage that never came.

Albright absorbed a lot in the final rounds but didn’t give up.

After the fight, Davis admitted that frustration got the best of him during the controversial exchange.

“He liked to hit and hold. He does that. So he was on my neck and I got livid and turned him over,” Davis said.

The lightweight fighter also revealed that the fifth-round shot changed his mentality for the rest of the fight.

“What really made me make that decision was he caught me with one good shot. And I was like, ‘I’m going to beat you up.’ You won’t achieve anything else. “

Davis added: “I felt amazing. I felt good. He’s a crafty fighter. He was around. I tried to fight for a knockout. We all saw he was injured. I just didn’t understand it. But I made the decision and that’s what matters.”

Norman Jr wins by TKO

In a joint feature film Brian Norman Jr. he stopped Josh Wagner in the second round after dropping the Canadian twice before the ring doctor stopped the fight due to a shoulder injury.

Norman improved to 29-1 with 23 knockouts.

“I came out trying to rip his head off,” Norman said. “But then I decided to relax, work on my poking and stick to the basics. And then I did my job.”

Results below the card

welterweight: Kelvin Davis won a split decision over Peter Dobson after gaining an early lead with his movement and outside boxing. The scores were 98-92 for Dobson and 99-91, 97-93 for Davis.

featherweight: Yan Santana remained undefeated after a hard-fought unanimous decision over Cristian Cruz to retain the NABO title. The scores were 96-94, 97-93 and 98-92.

Super welterweight: Keon Davis improved to 5-0, defeating Edwine Humaine Jr. in six rounds. The scores of all three cards were 60-54.

Super Featherweight: Dedrick Crocklem defeated Eric Howard by unanimous decision over six rounds, overall score 60-54.

About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.

Conor Benn’s manager has provided an update on Ryan Garcia’s situation, admitting there is a possibility of negotiations “falling apart” in the coming weeks.

Talks about their potential reunion are apparently progressing gradually, with the pair expected to fight for Garcia’s WBC welterweight world title later this year.

The 27-year-old won the belt in February dethroning Mario Barrios by majority unanimous decision after knocking down his fighter in the first round.

It was his first victory since 2023, and the American’s previous two appearances ended with a points defeat against Rolando Romero and a no-contest against Devin Haney.

Between these two fights, Garcia received a one-year ban after testing positive for the banned substance ostarine, which called into question the credibility of his performance against Haney.

Benn also previously tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance – specifically clomiphene – but nonetheless emerged as a top contender for the WBC 147-pound title.

After missing the weight since 2022, the 29-year-old is coming off a 10-round points victory over the retired Regis Prograis, whom he fought at the 150-pound catchweight on the undercard of the Tyson Fury vs. Arslanbek Makhmudov fight last month.

Benn has since doubled down on his desire to face Garcia, while manager Keith Connolly told Boxing News the odds of the fight happening are basically 50/50.

“We are in negotiations [Garcia-Benn]along with several other large fights. I’ve seen it happen; I saw it fall apart, but right now we’re focused on this fight.

“I think it’s a great fight for both fighters. It will be a huge fight if it takes place here [in the UK] and it will be a fierce battle in which it is fought [Las] Vegas. It’s a sale wherever it goes.

“I think we’ll know in the next few weeks where we’re going, but it’s definitely a fight we want.”

Benn’s victory over Prograis followed his middleweight triumph over Chris Eubank Jr in November, when “The Destroyer” gained revenge after losing their opening bout by unanimous decision.