Since the Ortiz win, Davis has mentioned Devin Haney, Lewis Crocker and Dalton Smith as targets. None of those games are now cleanly aligned from the opposing side. Haney operates in a space where risk must come with guaranteed upside, and Davis does not yet offer that. Crocker and Smith move on their own tracks, building profile and leverage without the need to take on a high-skill opponent that brings limited commercial return.
That’s the core problem for Davis at welterweight. He’s dangerous in the ring, but he hasn’t reached the point where opponents feel any pressure to take him on. From a business standpoint, there is no urgency to deal with a fighter that adds difficulty without leverage. His skill has delayed interest rather than created it, leaving him stuck in an awkward middle ground.
As a result, Davis could be on his way to a controlled opponent next, even if it doesn’t shoot his public ambitions. Staying active helps maintain visibility, but it doesn’t solve the bigger problem unless something changes externally. One possible acceleration would be outside funding. A Riyadh season-backed card could override the normal risk calculation and put Davis in a bigger fight before his profile really calls for it.
There is also the matter of weight. If Davis was willing to jump to 154, the dynamic shifts. Fighters in that division would see him as a different kind of opponent, and the size advantage he often enjoyed would disappear. He will be dealing with opponents his own size or larger, many of them with real power, which may make the risk on their part more acceptable as he tests parts of his game that are not fully emphasized.
For now, Davis sits in an uncomfortable holding pattern. He talks like a fighter ready to define opportunities, but the sport has yet to give him a reason to be prioritized. Until that changes, his next move is likely to be practical rather than glamorous, and that reality could be more frustrating than any opponent he’s faced thus far.
One option for a rematch would be a fight against his former four-time victor Andy Cruz. This would give Keyshawn the opportunity to show that he has improved since losing to Cruz in the 2020 Olympics. Of course, the stakes for Davis will be high, as Cruz has repeatedly shown that he has his number.
