Fresh off a spectacular performance against what many considered a step-up fight and a real risk against a battle-tested Gustavo Lemos, Keyshawn Davis passed the test with flying colors. Headlining for the first time in his hometown, he embraced the moment instead of letting the pressure of the ten thousand cheering home fans get to him. By doing so, he showed that he has what it takes to handle the pressure outside the ring.
His performance showed us that he can also handle the pressure inside the ring. His game plan of not backing up against the pressure that Lemos brought to the table from the first bell was on point. He stood his ground, operated with surgical precision, and ended the fight in two rounds, delivering a spectacular performance in the process. And his stock rose instantly: young, skilled, and spectacular, not to mention selling 10 thousand tickets for his first significant headline. It is well deserved and can and should serve as a launching pad for a future illustrious career.
In his post-fight interview in the ring, he was understandably hyped up, working the crowd and being charismatic. However, he called out Gervonta Davis in a manner that left this author perplexed. Before diving into it, let’s make one thing very clear: Keyshawn is supposed to call out the biggest names. Being shy doesn’t get you anywhere, just as closed mouths don’t get fed in the sport of boxing.
That being said, there was something in the way Keyshawn called out Tank that came across as imprudent, maybe even reckless. I perfectly understand that a fighter is supposed to have confidence, especially following a significant win, but sometimes, arrogance and recklessness can disguise themselves as justified confidence inside one’s mind.
Keyshawn might very well be capable of beating Gervonta, but his approach could end up being problematic. He should not let his significant win against Lemos impair his long-term vision. Tank is not Lemos—far from it.
Gervonta did not always fight the best competition out there and we can agree to disagree about whether it was him who refused to take those fights or was it boxing politics that prevented them from happening.
But that does not mean that Keyshawn should call him out with the forgone conclusion that he will beat him. There’s a thin line between being confident and letting the heat of the moment cloud your judgment, especially if that cloud stays.
Criticizing a Bugatti because you haven’t yet seen it race other powerful sports cars does not erase the fact that under the bright lights, it can easily reach 300 miles per hour.
And Tank is a Bugatti—a beast. His biggest attribute, which some fans tend to overlook or not even notice, is his very high ring IQ.
He’s also very patient and the primary goal of that patience is to allow that ring IQ to blossom round after round with lethal results.
Tank steps in the ring very cautious of his opponent and starts immediately collecting the necessary data that will show him the way to victory down the stretch. And when that moment comes, he goes for the kill. Avoiding being finished by Tank when he got you hurt is next to impossible. No one from 130 to 140 and maybe even higher can take Tank’s power or predict the way he’s gonna deliver that power.
I didn’t feel that Keyshawn had that in mind during his post-fight interview. The way he called out Tank gave me the impression of a fighter who does not entertain the idea that what happened to those before him can happen to him. If I’m right in my perception, Keyshawn has already lost the fight, provided it happens of course.
If I was in Keyshawn’s corner, I would sit with him and tell him to picture the following scenario:
“It’s the seventh round, and you had your moments, but Tank took your shots, and he’s starting to step up his game. You’re here, realizing that the fight is not playing how you’ve imagined it in your mind, and he just begun the process of increasing the pressure on you. Now, you’re hesitant to let your hands go like you did in the earlier rounds because any opportunity you see, any opening you think you should capitalize on, is maybe a setup at this point in the fight. You’re second-guessing yourself about throwing because he can catch you naked with impossible-to-predict shots, and you know that when the first one hits the target, the second one will put an end to the fight. You then begin to realize what’s at stake, how this fight can make you an overnight star, but also how losing badly will most definitely put a brutal stop to a once-promising career. The crowd is going wild, and the lights are getting brighter, and it’s only the seventh round…”
If such a scenario were to happen, can Keyshawn keep his composure, or will he get cracked under the pressure?
Teddy Atlas, who happens to know a thing or two about boxing, said that Tank is a complete fighter. That is probably the best compliment you can give a fighter.
I’m not counting out Keyshawn Davis at all. I’m just worried that his enhanced self-confidence will be his downfall. Like the great Khabib Nurmagemedov once said: “I take people into deep waters, and they discover themselves!”
When it comes down to it, we shall discover who Keyshawn Davis really is. So will he, for better or worse.
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