YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul has cancelled his planned exhibition match against undefeated WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis, originally scheduled for November 14 at the Kaseya Centre in Miami, following domestic violence allegations against Davis.
The cancellation came after Courtney Rossel, Davis’s former girlfriend, filed a civil lawsuit accusing him of battery, aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The alleged incident reportedly occurred at Rossel’s workplace, a gentlemen’s club called Tootsie’s, in a back room without surveillance cameras.
Rossel claims she was dragged through a stairwell, kitchen, and parking garage before being assaulted and stated that previous instances of domestic violence occurred during their five-month relationship.
This lawsuit follows a separate domestic violence case against Davis that was dismissed in August, when prosecutors dropped a misdemeanour battery charge after the accuser declined to press charges.
In response to the fight cancellation, Jake Paul took to social media, condemning Davis as a “woman abuser” and criticising the difficulties and unprofessionalism he faced while preparing for the exhibition. Paul also apologised to the other fighters on the undercard, emphasising that the decision was necessary in light of the allegations.
“Gervonta Davis is an actual walking human piece of garbage. Working with him is an absolute nightmare. The unprofessionalism, the bizarre requests, the showing up hours late to shoots. To the numerous arrests, related accusations, and lawsuits. If you support this man, you…’’ Jake Paul wrote on his social media page.
The cancellation marks another high-profile disruption in the boxing crossover landscape, highlighting how legal and personal controversies can impact marquee matchups in the sport.
