Teofimo Lopez wants Keyshawn Davis to earn a fight against him by facing his nemesis Cuban talent Andy Cruz, who he lost to three times in the amateurs.
Lopez and Hearn on the Same Page
Teo’s suggestion for Keyshawn to fight the 2020 Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz is music to Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn’s ears, as he reacted favorably to that on social media, chirping, “Me and Teo finally agree on something.”
Ideally, Keyshawn should fight Andy Cruz and other talented fighters to earn his shot against Teofimo, but he doesn’t seem interested in fighting that talent or any of the other top-rung fighters. Keyshawn is just barren of ambition.
If you could magically transplant Sugar Ray Leonard’s guts into Keyshawn’s body, he could be special. But with the way he is now, he doesn’t look like he’s going to amount to much. Keyshawn just seems content to fight tomato cans and beg Teo for a payday chance.
Hearn’s Been Thirsty for Cruz vs. Davis
We already knew that Hearn wanted Keyshawn to fight Cruz (3-0, 1 KOs), as the promoter has been interested in making the fight right away since he first signed Andy to his promotional company in 2023.
“I ain’t going to give it to you just like that,” said Teofimo Lopez to Keyshawn about a fight.
“We both have to earn our stripes,” said Keyshawn.
“You not there yet. You still got to beat Andy Cruz. You 0-3 [against him],” said Teofimo to Keyshawn.
Given Keyshawn’s poor track record against Andy Cruz, it’s not surprising that he’s wanted nothing to do with fighting him, preferring to take soft opposition, like the washed Jose Pedraza.
Keyshawn’s Motivation: Money or Glory?
Some fans believe Keyshawn only wants to fight Teofimo for the money, not because he believes he can actually beat him. He’s just looking for cash-out opportunities.
Keyshawn (10-0,7 KOs) has been begging 24/7 for a fight against WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo (20-1, 13 KOs), but showing no ambition to move up to 140 to work his way to a title shot the hard way like regular folks.
The 25-year-old Keyshawn feels entitled, feeling Teofimo should give him a fight because they are under the same promotional banner at Top Rank.
Keyshawn will fight Miguel Madueño (31-3, 28 KOs) next in a 10-round fight on July 6th at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Some casuals on social media view Keyshawn as a younger version of Terence Crawford. I don’t see anything in Keyshawn’s game that resembles Crawford. The fact that Keyshawn struggled and was hurt in his fight against Nahir Albright showed that he’s not heading towards world title honors.
Me and Teo finally agree on something 🥰 https://t.co/Qf8IacZils
— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) May 11, 2024
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