Keyshawn Davis states that he’ll begin the process of “showing the world” he’s the best fighter at 135 on Friday with his 10-round fight against Argentinian Gustavo Lemos.
(Credit: Mikey Williams/Top Rank)
The 2020 Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn (11-0, 7 KOs) wants to capture the WBO 135-lb belt from champion Denys Berinchyk, then go after the WBA champ Gervonta Davis and the IBF title holder.
Keyshawn Refuses to Fight Shakur
However, Keyshawn will never prove he’s the best at lightweight if he refuses to fight his friend, WBC champion Shakur Stevenson. Keyshawn has repeatedly said that he won’t fight Shakur because that’s his bro.
Moreover, he’s not shown a strong desire to fight his conqueror, Andy Cruz of Cuba, dismissing him as unready despite losing to him four times in the amateurs.
If Keyshawn rules out fighting Cruz and Shakur, how does he hope to show the world he’s the “Best at 135”? It’s not good enough for Keyshawn to tell fans he’s the best without fighting the two guys who would be his kryptonite.
On Friday, November 8th, Keyshawn vs. Lemos will headline at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. The event will be shown live on ESPN+. On the undercard, the talented lightweight prospect Abdullah Mason (15-0, 13 KOs) will fight Yohan Vasquez (26-5, 21 KOs) in an eight-round contest.
“I’m going to show the entire world that I’m the best at 135. Once I do that, I’m going to go to 140 and do the same thing, and then I’m going to go to 147,” said Keyshawn Davis to Fighthhype, talking about his future plans.
During today’s final press conference, Keyshawn looked giant standing next to Lemos (29-1, 19 KOs), resembling a 154-pounder easily. With Keyshawn’s size, it’s understandable why he feels confident that he’ll be able to stride through the weight divisions because he looks like he belongs at junior middleweight right now, fighting the likes of Bakhram Murtazaliev and Terence Crawford rather than squeezing down to compete against smaller foes at 135.
It’s good for Keyshawn that boxing no longer has fight-day weigh-ins because he wouldn’t be able to campaign at lightweight and would need to move up to 154, where he probably belongs.
“I’m going to show everybody I’m the best at 135 starting on Friday night. After I get this win, I’m for sure going to be the mandatory for the WBO, and who has the WBO? Denys Berinchyk,” Keyshawn continued about his plans to challenge Berinchyk for his lightweight title. He knows what’s to come. He’s ready. He just told me to win my fight so we can fight, and I’m going to do that for him.”
The wheels will come off the Keyshawn Express on Friday or against Berinchyk if he gets the opportunity to fight him before Raymond Muratalla does. Top Rank should let Muratalla challenge Berinchyk next rather than Keyshawn because he’s ranked higher at #2, and his fighting style is more entertaining to watch for fans.
Keyshawn is more of a blend of Shakur and Devin Haney in terms of his fighting style. He does a lot of hitting, holding, and moving. If Shakur and Haney had a baby, it would be Keyshawn, with him being a perfect 50% blend of each of them. Gervanta Davis would be a nightmare for Keyshawn with his power, and skills.
“I know when it comes to ‘The Businessman fighting, they’re going to tune in to watch me fight, because I put on amazing performances, and y’all going to see how great I am on Friday,” said Keyshawn.
There hasn’t been a lot of interest in Keyshawn’s fight against Lemos. For the fans that do tune in on Friday, it’s going to be a good opportunity for them to see whether Keyshawn has the ability to win a world title.
From the fights I’ve watched of Keyshawn against Nahir Albright, Miguel Madueno, and his 2020 match against Andy Cruz, I don’t see him ever becoming the #1 fighter at 135. Cruz is a better fighter than him, and so is Tank and Shakur.
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