Lightweight contender Keyshawn Davis will be fighting 140-pounder Gustavo Lemos in a 10-round fight in the main event, with talented WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. defending against Derrieck Cuevas in a 12-and chief support bout on November 8th on ESPN+ at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.
Welterweight Champ Takes a Backseat
It’s a strange card with the WBO welterweight champion Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) relegated to undercard status to defend against Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs) rather than being in the main event. Norman looked outstanding in his last fight in May, stopping unbeaten Giovani Santillan in the tenth round to capture the WBO interim 147-lb title. With Terence Crawford choosing not to return to welterweight to defend his WBO belt, Norman Jr. was elevated to full champion status.
In other undercard fights on Top Rank’s November 8th event, lightweight prospect Abdullah Mason (15-0, 13 KOs) faces Yohan Vasquez (26-5, 21 KOs) in an eight-round fight. In a ten-round contest, Middleweight prospect Troy Isley (13-0, 5 KOs) faces Tyler Howard (20-1, 11 KOs).
The 2020 Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn (11-0, 7 KOs) increasingly looks like he’s never going to capture a world title, and Top Rank has to be wondering if they made a huge mistake signing this guy. Putting Keyshawn in headliners, hoping to turn him into a pseudo-star, could waste time.
With those types of fighters, it’s best for the fans not to waste their time. If Keyshawn doesn’t have the talent, Top Rank shouldn’t try maneuvering him through the backdoor with Edgar Berlanga-type match-making to create a fake fighter.
Keyshawn, 24, might lose to Lemos (29-1, 19 KOs) if the Argentinian isn’t weight-drained from melting down from 140 to take this fight. Hopefully, we don’t see a robbery like in Lemos’ last fight against Richardson Hitchins last April in Las Vegas. Lemos dominated Hitchins, putting him on the run and beating him up, only to come up short on the scorecards against the A-side fighter.
Top Rank Remains Optimistic about Davis’ Potential
“Norfolk has been waiting for Keyshawn Davis to come home for years. This is going to be a great night of fights headlined by a real competitive main event,” said Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum. “Lemos is full of confidence, and Keyshawn will have to be in top form on November 8 at Scope Arena.”
Arum wants to turn Keyshawn into a star really bad, but he’ll have to give up on this sooner or later because he hasn’t shown the talent in the pro ranks that suggests he’ll achieve stardom. Keyshawn is another fighter who made it to the Olympics but couldn’t swim with the sharks in the professional ranks.
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