Paul v Davis exhibition fight cancelled

Jake Paul's exhibition fight against lightweight world champion Gervonta Davis has been cancelled, Most Valuable Promotions has announced.

The fight, scheduled for 14 November in Miami, was set to headline the Netflix-streamed event.

The decision comes days after a lawsuit was filed against Davis by his ex-girlfriend accusing him of battery, aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

After an investigation, MVP said the bout would "no longer be moving forward".

"Our team has worked closely with all parties to navigate this situation responsibly," Nakisa Bidarian, CEO and co-founder of MVP, said in a statement.

Responding to the news of the fight's cancellation on X, Paul said working with Davis was "an absolute nightmare".

"I'm so sorry to everyone involved," said Paul, co-founder of MVP.

"Mostly to the undercard fighters, to my team at MVP and to my team who worked so hard prepping for this fight."

In the lawsuit complaint, Davis is accused of attacking former partner Courtney Rossel at her place of work on 27 October, having previously made threats against her life.

Rossel alleges there were "at least" four previous incidents in which Davis "physically assaulted and choked" her, and that she has been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) since the incidents.

The lawsuit comes two months after a domestic violence case against Davis was dropped by a different ex-girlfriend.

Davis was arrested in February 2020 and December 2020 on battery domestic violence charges, and he served 44 days in jail in 2023 after violating the terms of a 90-day house arrest sentence in relation to a criminal hit-and-run case in November 2020.

The fight had drawn intrigue given Davis, the current WBA 135-pound champion, was to come up against Paul, who last fought as a 200-pound cruiserweight.

MVP said it will continue with plans for Paul to headline a Netflix-only event in 2025.