Keyshawn Davis says he wants to challenge Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis next after he faces Gustavo Lemos on November 8 at the Scopes Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.
Unbeaten #3 IBF, #3 WBC, and #3 WBO ranked lightweight contender Keyshawn (11-0, 7 KOs) is in no position to force WBA 135-lb champion Gervonta Davis to fight him . All Keyshawn can do is hope that Tank wants to fight him just based on his performance against Lemos (29-1, 19 KOs), but that’s unlikely.
Keyshawn vs. Lemos will appear on ESPN+ on a top-ranked card. It’s Keyshawn’s homecoming, and the event is expected to sell out.
2020 Olympic silver medalist Davis needs wins over top 5 tier contenders such as Andy Cruz, Edwin De Los Santos and William Zepeda to put him in a position to challenge Tank for his WBA belt. Beating Lemos isn’t good enough to put pressure on Tank.
In the co-feature, defending WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. against Derrieck Cuevas. Also on the card is undefeated lightweight prospect Abdullah Mason (15-0, 13 KOs) against Yohan Vasquez (26-5, 21 KOs) in an eight-round bout.
“It’s another fight for me. Lemos is human, just like I am human. I’m the best man at 135, and I’m going to show it on November 8th,” Keyshawn Davis said. Box Social about his fight against Gustavo Lemos next month. “I have to make a statement because this is my first main event. It’s my homecoming, and everyone is expecting something big.
“I can be the face of boxing because I can fight, and I bring that energy too. I just have to keep being who I am. I don’t have to do anything else. Frank Martin, no. Gervonta, yeah, because he has a belt, which means I’m going after the belt,” Keyshawn said when asked if he wanted to fight Frank Martin and Gervonta Davis.
Keyshawn has to forget about his dream of becoming the ‘Face of Boxing’ because he doesn’t have the right style or the skills to reach that level. Being the face of the sport requires a large fan base and the talent to impress the public. We’ve seen Keyshawn struggle in fights that should have been easy for him, but turned out to be a nightmare.
“I need a belt to freeze Keyshawn Davis, the businessman, and then I can go after everybody. So, if Tank wants to fight me, I’ll gladly take his belt. If not, I’ll go after someone else who wants to give me a chance. I don’t look at Tank like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to get Tank.’ (Forget) Tank. I don’t look at him that way. I am me. I don’t need to use him to build my name,” Davis said.
To win a belt, Keyshawn won’t solidify in the public eye unless he captures it against Tank Davis, Vasily Lomachenko or Shakur Stevenson. These are the three champions who are considered the best in the lightweight division. Besides them, defeating WBO champion Denys Berinchyk to win a belt won’t do much for Keyshawn’s popularity or career.
“I’m going to build my name regardless. If Tank wants to fight me, I’m going to sign the contract. But I’m not out here chasing Tank. I’m worried about ‘The Businessman’. World Champion in the next 18 months. Great battles. Keep putting up big fights,” Keyshawn said when asked where he sees himself in the next 18 months.
“If it wasn’t my homecoming, I would still be fighting on the co-main. Lemos and I will be a great fight. This is what I set up. I put the bosses down at Top Rank, and we pulled it together,” Davis said.
Keyshawn is a good fighter, but not to the left of the top shelf guys at lightweight. Talent-wise, Davis is more of a fringe contender.
He hasn’t shined in his recent fights against Miguel Madueno and Nahir Albright. In both contests, Keyshawn struggled and looked lost. He had to use roughhouse tactics to defeat Madueno and was lucky not to be penalized or disqualified.
Cream of The Crop 135 lbs
- Gervonta Davis
- Vasily Lomachenko
- Abdullah Mason
- Andy Cruz
- William Zepeda
- Edwin Delos Santos
- Shakur Stevenson
- Denys Berinchyk
- Floyd Schofield
- Raymond Muratalla
- Gustavo Lemos
- Frank Martin
- Keyshawn Davis
- Zaur Abdullaev
- Giovanni Cabrera
