Keyshawn Davis is taking a risk to fight Gustavo Lemos next month in a lightweight clash on November 8th at Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.
After Keyshawn’s last strange fight against Miguel Madueno and his equally poor performance against Nahir Albright, there is a strong likelihood that he will lose to Argentina’s Lemos (29-1, 19 KOs) in their 10-round headliner. Keyshawn almost lost to Albright and was messed up in the eighth round when he got reckless.
In Keyshawn’s fights against Madueno and Albright, he appeared to have PTSD flashbacks to his loss to Cuba’s Andy Cruz in the 2020 Olympic finals when he was under pressure against those fighters.
Against Madueno, Keyshawn panicked as he hit hard, turned the fight into a WWE wrestling match, threw the rulebook out the window and did stuff that should have resulted in a disqualification. You could argue that if Keyshawn wasn’t the A Team, he would have been disqualified.
I watched the fight and thought, ‘What on earth is Keyhawn doing?’ He went pure big time wrestling mode. If I were Bob Arum of the highest rank, I would be thinking, ‘How do I get rid of Keyshawn? I have to dump this guy because he doesn’t have it. Let me throw him in with Abdullah Mason and let the youngster finish this loss.’
What to do with Keyshawn Is he lost?
If Keyshawn loses to Lemos on November 8th, Top Rank will have to consider making the most of what’s left of his contract with them. They won’t be able to maneuver Keyshawn to capture a world title with smooth matchups to a pseudo-champion.
It’s not going to happen. There is too much talent at lightweight, and Keyshawn is too big for the division to capture and hold onto a world title.
Options for rescue expedition for Davis
– Mario Barrios
– Eimantas Stanionis
– Brian Norman Jr.
– Conor Benn
One alternative would be for Top Rank to move Keyshawn up to where they should fight at 147 and target beatable champions Mario Barrios and Eimantas Stanionis. These are guys who would lose to many of the top fighters at 135, 140 and 147.
It wouldn’t be a good idea for Top Rank to pit Keyshawn against WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. doesn’t fit because he hits too hard and has too much toughness to him.
We saw Albright stagger Keyshawn and mentally fall apart against Madueno when he started getting hard. Norman would be a disaster for Keyshawn and knock him out in bloody fashion.
What we saw from Keyshawn in his fights against Albright and Madueno is a fighter who lacks the talent to be a world champion level fighter. Those two fights were eye-openers, showing that Virginia native Keyshawn doesn’t have the goods to be a champion, unless of the paper variety.
Top Rank took note of Keyshawn’s recent struggles against fringe contenders and offered him a lesser fighter for his November 8th headliner, but he chose Lemos.
Unwilling to face his conqueror Andy Cruz
Keyshawn wanted someone good, but obviously not someone too good. If he wanted to risk his career to show true courage, he would bite the bullet and his four-time conqueror, Cuba’s Andy Cruzwhich repeatedly beat him like a drum in the amateur ranks.
Cruz has repeatedly called him out since turning pro, referring to him as his “son.” Interestingly, Keyshawn is adamant that he doesn’t want to fight Cruz, which suggests that he knows what he would do to his career as it is now. Being beaten four times by Cruz in the amateur ranks is one thing, but losing to him in the pros will end Keyshawn’s hopes of ever making the millions he dreams of.
It could backfire on Keyshawn because Lemos has talent, and he can win, provided there is no controversy.
Lemos’ power and aggressive style are pure trouble for Keyshawn, who is about to turn 26 years old and has yet to fight anyone. Davis is ranked third in IBF, WBC and WBO.
Top Rank positions Keyshawn to fight WBO lightweight champion Denys Berinchyk, who is considered the weakest link among the division’s available champions.
Keyshawn will have his best shot at winning a belt against him because he is essentially a welterweight who comes down to 35 to fight smaller guys. Keyshawn will have an enormous size advantage against Berinchyk, who is a true lightweight.
2020 Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn (11-0, 7 KOs) is being fast-tracked by Top Rank, who recently lost to Shakur Stevenson. They push Keyshawn faster than they probably would have if things were different.
I am that new rising star that the sport needs. I will be the face that it is in God’s Plans. #8 November⭐️
— Keyshawn Davis (@KeyshawnDavis8) October 23, 2024
