Davis tipped the scales at 139.3 pounds during Friday's weigh-in, a full 4.3 pounds over the 135-pound limit. The weight miss automatically disqualified him from defending his title.
Promoters tried to salvage the fight. They offered a catchweight bout and more money to De Los Santos. But negotiations fell through.
Sampson Lewkowicz, De Los Santos' promoter, explained why they walked away:
"We renegotiated at 10 pounds over, offered more money, but came to the conclusion that Davis never tried to make weight. He showed up dancing on the scale. We didn't want a repeat of Haney vs. Ryan Garcia. We canceled the fight. The most important thing is Edwin. I hope this sets an example."
Top Rank Inc. CEO Bob Arum shared his perspective with Dan Rafael:
"You can tell when a guy tries to make weight but just can't. He looks drained. That wasn't the case with Keyshawn. He never even tried to hit 135. That's how I see it."
De Los Santos will still get paid. Top Rank agreed to give him his full purse of around $400,000. Davis walked away empty-handed.
The card will go on. Abdullah Mason and Jeremia Nakathila stepped up as the new main event for Saturday night.
Davis lost more than his title. He lost trust and took the biggest hit to his young career. The boxing world will watch closely to see how he bounces back from this setback.
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields summed up many people's reactions with a simple "Wow wow ." on Instagram.