Keyshawn Davis targets Devin Haney, Lewis Crocker, Dalton Smith

What Davis said, and why he said it

“It’s been a long time since my last fight until tonight,” Davis said. “There were a lot of twists and turns and ups and downs and nights where I really didn’t want to do it anymore.”

He explained the brutal ending as something he had been chasing for years. “I’ve always dreamed of getting a knockout in the 12th round,” he said. “So to do that with an opponent like Jamaine Ortiz, on my return, in front of 20,000 fans, that’s God.”

Then he made the argument he clearly wants to remember. “My last three opponents have never been stopped before, never been dropped before, Lemos, Berinchyk and now Ortiz, and I’ve moved up in weight and stopped them. I really am. Put anybody in front of me, I’m going to stop them.”

It was not reflection. It was positioning.

Haney, Crocker, Smith and the real targets

Davis didn’t hesitate when Devin Haney’s name came up after a week of back and forth. When asked what happens when they fight, he replied: “Knock out.”

That answer plays well. It also skips over the size gap and the fact that Haney no longer functions as a lightweight. Making that fight work will require money and agreement, not rankings.

Davis also looked to Britain. He said he had spoken to Eddie Hearn and named IBF welterweight champion Lewis Crocker and WBC junior welterweight champion Dalton Smith as options.

“He has that bond that I want,” Davis said, referring to Crocker.

That sentence explains the direction. Tires still move doors. British headliners pay well. Both Crocker and Smith bring physical size that Davis has yet to face as a full-time reality.

What comes next, no fantasy

Davis still holds the WBO at lightweight, but outboxing Ortiz at a heavier weight complicates his path back to mandatory order. Sanctioning bodies allow flexibility when fees remain active, not when divisions are frozen.

A Haney fight would be built on profile and money. A Smith or Crocker fight would likely pit Davis against men who live at those weights, without the advantage of being the bigger fighter.

The late power is real. The confidence is hard. The risk rises sharply once the opponent no longer gives away rounds early. Against established 140 or 147 fighters, Davis will have to earn those finals moments the hard way, without relying on talk to soften the ground first.