WBA president Gilberto Jesus Mendoza confirmed the change, which closes a title run that stretched across greater than 4 years in a single form or one other. Davis first held a secondary version of the WBA lightweight belt starting in December 2019. He was elevated to full champion in early 2024, though his time as an energetic titleholder at that level proved transient.
The WBA executive committee is now expected to make your mind up whether to authorize a vacant lightweight title fight. The intent is to forestall the division from stalling while Davis’ availability stays uncertain. Under the recess designation, Davis keeps a technical link to the title but not occupies the energetic slot required to anchor the load class.
Davis is currently being sought by Miami Gardens police as a part of an investigation involving multiple law enforcement agencies. He faces charges that include battery, false imprisonment, and attempted kidnapping, stemming from allegations involving his former partner at her workplace on October 27. A related civil lawsuit was filed soon after. The legal process, moderately than any boxing timetable, is now determining his short term future.
The fallout has already reshaped his schedule. Davis was faraway from a planned crossover bout with Jake Paul that had been scheduled for November in Miami after the event was canceled. He has not fought since a March 1 majority draw with Lamont Roach Jnr in Brooklyn. A proposed rematch last summer never materialized, and a planned August pay per view card was later canceled outright.
If the WBA moves ahead with a vacant title bout, Floyd Schofield and Lucas Bahdi stand as the highest two available contenders. Schofield is promoted by Golden Boy, while Bahdi is aligned with Most Worthwhile Promotions. Each camps have signaled interest in fighting for the belt if it becomes available.
Mendoza has stated that Davis will likely be allowed to present his case as more information becomes available. For now, though, the WBA has chosen motion over waiting. Given how rarely Davis has been present within the ring in recent times, the belt moving on without him feels less abrupt than inevitable.