PHILADELPHIA, PA — There is the bullet hole halfway up his back, slightly to the left of his spine. Another inch to the right and Jamaican super middleweight southpaw Kestna “Hardball” Davis would be a paraplegic. There is the man who entered his life, a larger-than-life figure especially in the boxing world, who saved him when he was 12.

So, Davis, 29, has no problem coming out and saying it, “Lennox Lewis saved my life.”

Davis (6-0) was part of Lou DiBella’s Broadway Boxing series at Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena on Thursday night, winning a unanimous four-round decision.

He was 12 living on the streets of Kingston, Jamaica. When he was 18, he was introduced to Lewis’ League of Champions in Montego Bay, Jamaica, where he met Lewis himself.

“I stole, I did everything, and I was shot when I was 12 sleeping on the street, and an inch over I would be paralyzed,” Davis said. “There was a gym nearby and I borrowed clothes to go to a gym.”

Davis beat Abdalla Nagy (1-1) in a four-rounder, showing flashy boxing skills cultivated from a deep amateur past. Nagy tried stalking Davis, but swung wildly at a target that was not there. Meanwhile, Davis kept packing on points with a steady jab. He did well avoiding the hard-charging Nagy, who kept his guard high and his head down, willing to absorb a few shots to get inside.

Davis ended the first round impressively, and he began the second like he ended the first. He was quick, up on his toes, spinning Nagy in every direction he wanted. In the last minute of the second, Nagy did catch Davis with a left to the body, but the Jamaican handled it well. By the end of the second, Nagy had closed the distance, and lured Davis into fighting his fight the last 10 seconds.

In the opening of the third, Davis caught Nagy with a short counter left that dropped Nagy, though with little harm done. It was more a punch that knocked Nagy off balance that stunned him. Nagy started getting closer and connecting. But Davis did enough to win the round.

Davis, who lives in New Jersey, was still an elusive target in the fourth. With Lewis yelling instructions ringside, Davis engaged the stubborn Nagy, clipping him as he neared, but he did close strong with a right to the body.

Davis’ sweat was rewarded with a 40-35 four-round unanimous victory.

“I didn’t know about Kestna, until he came to my camp when he was 12, and I felt compelled to help him, and that comes from my mother and how she raised me. She always helped people,” said Lewis, the Hall of Famer who manages Davis. “Everyone needs attention. Today, he needs experience and I know the recipe for him to get to the top. I want to save more people’s lives. I think boxing can do that, It gives them a purpose and a focus, and it certainly saved my life.”

In the main event, “Gentleman” George Arias (18-1-1, 7 KOs), of Bronx, New York, and Skylar Lacy (8-0-2, 6 KOs), of Indianapolis, Indiana, finished in an action-packed majority draw, with Arias winning 77-75 on one card, overruled by 77-77 scores.

In the opening fight, Cleveland southpaw Roney Hines, who had Hall of Famer Buddy McGirt in his corner, remained undefeated with an eight-round decision over Robert Hall Jr. (14-3, 11 KOs) of Johnson City, Tennessee, by scores of 79-73 by all three judges. Hines (14-0-1, 8 KOs) worked a nice jab, and Hall put in a valid effort.

Other undercard fights featured junior featherweight Romuel “Cuco” Cruz (11-0-1, 5 KOs) winning by fourth-round knockout at 1:43 over Robin Ellis (6-4, 5 KOs) in a scheduled six-round bout, and six-foot middleweight southpaw Erron “JYD” Peterson (6-0-1, 5 KOs) stopping Raheem Davis (1-2), of Morgantown, West Virginia, at 1:53 of the second round of a scheduled four-round bout.

Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who has been working for Ring Magazine/RingTV.com since October 1997 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
Follow @JSantoliquito

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