This Davie boxer is Saturday’s headliner at Weston show, and he is also the promoter

Twice daily workouts to prepare for the next fight of his still-early career are just segments of Blake Davis’ current responsibilities.

As the days approach to a boxing show Saturday night at the Bonaventure Resort and Spa in Weston, Davis also must oversee other pressing needs.

Davis, a Davie resident, not only is one of the card’s headliners but will also promote the event.

“I put a lot of stuff on my own plate, I pretty much handle everything,” Davis said. “I’m very organized. I’m almost like OCD. When it gets to a week out, I kind of pass everything down to somebody else.”

The scheduled nine-bout show will be Davis’ second undertaking at promoting.

In January 2020, Davis’ Bad Promotions presented a card at Gulfstream Park and Casino in Hallandale Beach. According to Davis, the show was well received and another was scheduled two months later before the COVID-19 pandemic caused a shutdown of events.

Davis, who also fought in his first promoted show, was inactive the remainder of last year and through the first four months of 2021. The lengthy delay reinforced Davis’ goal to continue promoting and fighting.

“The time off forced me to take a break from fighting, rest my head and think about a lot of things,” said Davis, who will fight Lawrence Gabriel in a scheduled six-round light-heavyweight match Saturday. “I guess it was a blessing in disguise. You have to look at the positives.

“Everybody knows about that first show I had. I’ve had so many people contact me and tell me how much they enjoyed it.”

Unbeaten in his first five professional bouts, Davis caught the promoting bug after his fighting debut at the Seminole Hard Rock and Casino two years ago. Davis took the initiative to sell multiple VIP tables and tickets for the event. As a result, his four-round bout was moved to the last part of the show to avoid early spectator departures.

An ability to sell his product and lack of trust in his profession are primary reasons why Davis, 26, says he wears the fighter’s and promoter’s hats.

“It’s a cutthroat industry,” Davis said. “Anybody I’ve come across that’s been a good person I try to latch on to them.”

Attracting fans to club shows, like Davis’ card on Saturday, requires additional features beyond showcasing the 18 scheduled fighters. The ballroom at the facility is configured to accommodate 500 spectators with the required social distancing guidelines.

“I’ve spent a ton of money on lighting, designing everything with plans on turning a ballroom into a bad [expletive] event,” Davis said. “We’re hiring dancers to perform between the fights.”

With the likelihood of excessive rounds given the show’s possible length, Davis also wants to avoid lulls that sometimes drag cards.

“People don’t like staying around until 1 or 2 a.m. for the main event,” Davis said. “This event will be over by 11 o’clock hopefully. And that way they had a nice enjoyable event and will want to come back.”

Davis said he has secured three additional dates with the Florida Boxing Commission for the rest of the year. As with his fighting career, Davis acknowledges uncertainties come with lofty expectations.

“It’s too early to tell where [promoting] is going to take me,” Davis said. “I’m taking it day by day but I have a feeling that my promotion is really going to take off after this next show.”

Saturday’s card still has available VIP tables and general admission seats separated in pairs. For information on seat and table availability, visit the event site at www.badpromotions.com. In yet another of his promotional tasks, Davis is also responsible for designing his company’s website.

▪ Sunrise resident Xander Zayas remained unbeaten with his first-round technical knockout win over Demarcus Layton on Saturday in Kissimmee. Zayas pinned Layton on the roads and unloaded a flurry of unanswered combinations.

Layton eventually absorbed a flush left hook to the head that sent him to the canvas. Although Layton barely beat the 10-count, referee Emil Lombardi stopped the welterweight bout at 56 seconds of the round. Zayas is now 8-0 with six knockouts.

▪ Coming up: Saturday (7 p.m., Fox-Ch. 7): Erislandy Lara vs. Thomas LaManna, 12, middleweights; Saturday (9 p.m., pay-per-view): Andy Ruiz vs. Chris Arreola, 12, heavyweights.