Lightweight contender Keyshawn Davis sounds like a victory over Gustavo Lemos is already assured for their 10-round headliner fight on November 8th at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia, 25 days from now. The event will be shown on ESPN+.
Top Rank is giving the 2020 Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn (11-0, 7 KOs) his first main event spot despite his recent lackluster performances against Miguel Madueno and Nahir Albright.
It’s believed that they’re angling Keyshawn into a Berlanga-esque build-up, looking to ramp him up for a big-money fight against Gervonta Davis in a year or two.
The idea is to match Keyshawn against strictly beatable opposition so that he can create a glittering record and then set up a PPV fight against Tank Davis that will bring in good money. If Top Rank matched Keyshawn against tough opposition to develop him properly by matching him against his nemesis Andy Cruz, Willliam Zepeda, or Floyd Schofield, he would likely lose repeatedly.
Since turning professional in 2021, Keyshawn hasn’t shown the promise that some had thought he would after he was beaten by Andy Cruz in the 2020 Olympics. Losing the fight against Cruz in the finals wasn’t a great sign that Keyshawn would pan out in the pros, but he’s become popular in his native Virginia. That’s why he’s headlining. Moreover, it’s important that Top Rank builds up Keyshawn’s brand to create hype for a hoped-for-money fight against Tank Davis.
On the undercard, lightweight prospect Abdullah Mason (15-0, 13 KOs) will be looking to steal the show once again, fighting Yohan Vasquez (26-5, 21 KOs) in an eight-round fight. Mason upstaged Keyshawn and Shakur Stevenson on the July 6th event at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
The 20-year-old made Keyshawn and Shakur look like bit-players despite them receiving a higher placement on the Top Rank-promoted card.
“Another crazy performance. You seen me in my last fight [Miguel Madueno] in Jersey. Jersey turned up for me,” said Keyshawn Davis to Fighthype, talking about his next fight against Gustavo Lemos on November 8th in Norfolk, Virginia.
Keyshawn was not great against Miguel Madueno in his last fight on July 6th. He got stressed out from the pressure that Madueno was putting on him and used a variety of roughhouse tactics to keep from getting knocked out. Keyshawn shoved, wrestled, and at one point picked up Madueno, looking like he was going to body slam him. Surprisingly, the referee didn’t penalize Keyshawn for his numerous tactics.
“Watch my last fight. That’s how I’m going to handle it. If he comes dirty, I’m going to come dirty,” said Keyshawn about Lemos and what he’ll do if he uses roughhouse tactics. “I’m going to box the [mess] out of you. I’m not scared of your power or what you’re doing, but you’re going to worry about what I’m doing, period. I don’t care about Lemos. He’s going to be worried about me.
“Now, we got my homecoming in my first main event. We got Troy Isley in the co-main. We are going to show out. Seven thousand eight hundred tickets were sold in two days. Of course, it’s going to sell out. Ten thousand fans in that arena. It’s going to be crazy. I’m very respected in the sport. I got real support. I’m not going to say I’m not appreciated at all. The numbers don’t lie.
“I’ll never fight Shakur. He got me focused on this fight. He steered me right back on track. It’s deeper than money or boxing. I would never fight Shakur,” said Keyshawn about him not being willing to fight his friend, Shakur Stevenson.
It doesn’t matter that Keyshawn will never fight Shakur because the wheels will come off eventually when Top Rank throws him into the deep waters.
HOMECOMING PREPARATION 🔥
(via @KeyshawnDavis8) pic.twitter.com/iG56dSgrLw
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) October 14, 2024
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