Keyshawn Davis says he’s going to slug it out with puncher Miguel Madueño (31-2, 28 KOs) in their ten-round lightweight contest this Saturday night on July 6th at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Davis (10-0, 7 KOs) states that he has something to “prove to the boxing world” by going to war with Madeuno. He seems to have a chip on his shoulder due to being schooled repeatedly by the Cuban talent Andy Cruz, and being slow to progress in the pro ranks.
Keyshawn doesn’t say what he has to prove because this isn’t the type of high-level opponent against whom the 25-year-old 2020 Olympic silver medalist will do much proving. After all, Madueno was beaten by Steve Claggett by a lopsided ten-round unanimous decision last year. Keyshawn might as well be fighting Claggett because he dominated Madueno.
Davis’s Unfulfilled Challenge: Andy Cruz
The guy Keyshawn needs to fight to show the fans that he’s for real is Cuban Andy Cruz, who beat him four times in the amateurs, including in the 2020 Olympics finals. Keyshawn was no match for Cruz, who danced afterward.
Cruz’s promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom, has repeatedly challenged Keyshawn to fight Andy, but he’s not taken him up on his offer, which the boxing world has noticed. They see Keyshawn as lacking the courage to fight his four-time conqueror.
If Keyshawn can’t beat Madueno or at least look good, Top Rank needs to think about ditching him and putting its energy on lightweight contender Raymond Muratalla. Keyshawn already looked poor in his fight against Nahir Albright last October.
That was the fight in which Albright poured it on in the second half of the contest, appearing to use the Andy Cruz blueprint of nonstop pressure.
Albright had Keyshawn hurt in the eighth round and easily won the last five rounds, but the judges gave it to A-side fighter Keyshawn.
Keyshawn Davis Addresses the Andy Cruz Question
“If I had 100% control of who I fight next, we would have been had Andy Cruz in the ring. I would have been f*** him up,” said Keyshawn Davis to the Sean Zittel YouTube channel, explaining why he hasn’t fought lightweight contender Andy Cruz, who beat him in the 2020 Olympics and three other times.
Keyshawn’s excuses for not fighting Cruz don’t come across well. The fans already believe he’s afraid of the Cuban, who clearly has his number and will likely beat him no matter how many times they fight.
Keyshawn mentions that he wants to challenge WBO lightweight champion Denys Berinchyk for his title. He doesn’t say it, but Keyshawn views Berinchyk as the weakest link among the champions and one he could potentially beat.
I don’t think he can, but that’s the only one that Keyshawn would have a slight chance against due to his huge size for the 135-lb division.
Some fans feel that Keyshawn should have been fighting at 140 or 147 long ago, but he’s choosing to melt down to 135 because it gives him an advantage and his best chance of making something of his career.
“Certain fights, I’ve got to have, but I don’t have full control over my matchmaking yet. Let me become a world champion first and really solidify myself, and then I can I can start hand-picking. I can’t be like, I’m going to send [Raymond] Muratalla a contract so he can fight me. It don’t work that way, but my promotion [Top Rank] can set it up that way. If they allow it to happen, but the s*** is not on me,” said Davis.
Top Rank would likely allow Keyshawn to fight Cruz and Muratalla if he asked them, but that would be career suicide for him because he can’t beat either, in my view. They’re too good. Keyshawn is a decent fringe-level contender in the true sense, but the wheels would come off if he fought Muratalla, Cruz, Abdullah Mason, Floyd Schofield, Berinchyk, or Shakur Stevenson.
“Right now, I’m going to stick to the game plan where I’m going to try and get a world title because I’m top five,” said Keyshawn, sounding like he’s got a chip on his shoulder.
Davis Anticipates a War with Madueño
“I think it’s going to be a fun fight with a lot of punches being thrown. It’s going to be a prideful fight. We’re going to be fighting in the middle of the ring to find out who the stronger fighter is,” said Keyshawn about his fight against Miguel Madueño on July 6th.
I think Keyshawn will start out trading with Madueno, but once he feels his power, he’ll quickly switch to boxing him from the outside and play it safe. If a non-puncher like Albright could hurt Keyshawn twice, Madueno would knock him out if he elected to trade.
“I’m not going to be doing a lot of moving. I’m going to stay right there with him. So, we’ll see how tough he is when we get in there. I don’t have anything to prove to him but to the boxing world. I’m going to sit there with him, and the tough man is going to win,” said Keyshawn.
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