Keyshawn Davis broke his stack when asked during an interview about his old nemesis from his amateur days, Cuban Andy Cruz, who beat him like a drum in his four fights. Davis (11-0, 7 KOs) he shouted at the interviewer when Cruz’s name was brought up and then he went on a tirade full of jokes, ranting about how the fight had been offered to his promoter, Eddie Hearn, without a response.
(Credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank)
The look on Keyshawn’s face when Cruz’s name was brought up was that of a person whose blood pressure had risen to dangerous levels. That name still haunts Keyshawn after all these years.
However, it’s hard to believe Keyshawn because Hearn said he would do the Cruz-Keyshawn fight in a second. Hearn wants that fight because he knows 2020 Olympic gold medalist Cruz has schooled him for the fifth time, adding to his previous 4-0 record against the Virginia native.
“After having a spectacular performance against Lemos, I’m going to the breaking point of being a superstar,” Keyshawn Davis told Manouk Akopyandiscussing his hopes of becoming a star after his fight against Gustavo Lemos on Friday.
Beating Lemos won’t turn Keyshawn into a star because he’s not a big enough name. He did nothing for Richardson Hitchins after defeating Lemos earlier this year on April 6th. To become a star, Keyshawn will need to beat fighters like Shakur Stevenson, Gervonta Davis, William Zepeda, Edwin De Los Santos, Vasily Lomachenko and Andy Cruz.
“The only thing that is mandatory is to get my world title. After I became world champion, my name is solidified now. I am not only an Olympic silver medalist, but I am a world champion. Lomachenko, I think that he’ll fight one more time and then he’ll retire. I hope he picks me to fight. If he wins his fight, then I’ll go for the IBF.”
Lomachenko will NOT pick Keyshawn if he is in the final fight of his career before he retires. There’s no money in a fight against Keyshawn, and he didn’t want to fight a guy who looks like a welterweight in size. Keyshawn is not yet a world champion, and the fans in the United States do not care that he is an Olympic silver medalist. That junk doesn’t impress American fans. All it proves is that Keyshawn wasn’t good enough to win the gold medal against Andy Cruz.
“Me and (WBO champion) Berinchyk are friends. So, one of those two lanes. Tank, Shakur, and me, I think we’re the best at 135. People won’t give me credit, saying I’m going to become a champion. I’ll fight anyone but Shakur.
“The ball is in his court. We’re waiting for him,” Keyshawn said when asked if he would be interested in fighting Andy Cruz. “We already sent a contract. I already live with Eddie Hearn and I said to put in the fight. I don’t know what else you want to do (to make the Andy Cruz fight).”
Actually, the ball is in Keyshawn’s court because he is the one who has given up on the idea of fighting Cruz since he turned pro, saying that he brings nothing to the table and that it is a different story now. It seems obvious to some that Keyshawn is afraid of Crawfurd, which is fine. That’s fine, but it would be nice if Keyshawn would admit it so the media could stop asking him about that fight.
“Stop asking that question,” Keyshawn said when asked about Cruz. “I already tried to fight these guys when I was still co-main. I can fight now as a main event. If I send him a contract, will he sign? I don’t know. I want for my world title and more fights big here. It’s one of the biggest battles out there.”
The media and fans will continue to ask Keyshawn about Cruz because he keeps saying different things when he is polite, which suggests that he does not want to fight the Cuban talent because of repeated failures against him. When you’ve fought as many times as Keyshawn did against Cruz, it’s understandable why you’re willing to say anything to dodge the fight. This isn’t the fans where Keyshawn can lose, and it’s no big deal. If he is beaten by Cruz in the professional ranks, he can say goodbye to his dreams of fighting for a world title and making good money to buy houses.
“I don’t want to keep entertaining him if he’s not ready. What, 4-0? He’s not ready yet. He doesn’t have a fan base. His whole fan base is built around me. I want to fight him him in my next fight, but his promoters and managers are saying no,” Keyshawn said.
Eddie Hearn says otherwise. He called Keyshawn and said he was ready to make the fight between him and Andy Cruz. He sounded as serious as a heart attack when he said he was going to do that fight. So, who are we to believe? Hearn or Keyshawn? Since Cruz has beaten Keyshawn four times in the amateurs and has a 4-0 record against him, you have to believe that Hearn wants to make the fight, but he doesn’t.
