BY MIKE HOUSER
Appeal Sports Writer
Reno boxer "Koncrete" Kelvin Davis traveled to Auckland, New Zealand last week to challenge undefeated Shane Cameron for three regional heavyweight titles, hoping he could gain a Top 12 ranking in boxing's premier division.
Now the 29-year-old former IBF cruiswerweight champion, who was scheduled to face Cameron this Thursday, faces a much stiffer challenge.
Davis suffered a fractured neck and broken back Monday morning after falling 30 feet off a narrow bridge while doing his roadwork.
Davis, 24-6-2 with 17 knockouts, was forced to jump off the bridge because of an oncoming truck. According to his mother, Frances Gaines, Davis landed flat on his back and, because he was alone at the time, was forced to crawl up an embankment for help.
Gaines said Davis, who is listed in serious but stable condition, will undergo back surgery on Thursday.
Gaines said Davis has movement and feeling in all of his extremities and if his surgery goes well, could make a full recovery.
Davis became Northern Nevada's first world champion when he scored an eight-round knockout over Ezra Sellers on May 1, 2004.
"I could've died," Davis told his mother. "I got a second chance."