Keyshawn Davis has taken the risk of fighting Gustavo Lemos next month in a lightweight bout on November 8th at Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.
After Keyshawn’s last weird fight Miguel Madueno and his equally poor showing against Nahir Albright, there is a high probability that he will lose to Argentina’s Lemos (29-1, 19 KOs) in his 10-round head-to-head. Keyshawn almost lost to Albright and was knocked out in the eighth round when he got reckless.
In Keyshawn’s fights against Madueno and Albright, he appeared to have a PTSD flashback 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 when he started getting hit hard, turning the fight into a WWE wrestling match, throwing the rule book out the window, and doing things that should have resulted in a disqualification. You could argue that if Keyshawn wasn’t the A side, he would have been disqualified.
He watched the fight, thinking, “What is Keyhawn doing?” He went on to fight big time. If I had been Bob Arum of Top Rank, I would have thought, “How can I get rid of Keyshawn? I need to throw this guy because he doesn’t have it. Let me throw him with Abdullah Mason and let the young man finish this loss.
What to do with Keyshawn Perde?
If Keyshawn loses on November 8th to Lemos, Top Rank will consider making the best of what is left of his contract with them. They couldn’t maneuver Keyshawn to capture a world title with slick matchmaking to create one pseudo-sample.
That is not going to happen. There is too much talent at lightweight, and Keyshawn is too big for the division to capture and hold a world title.
Backup shipping options for Davis
Mario Barrios
– Eimantas Stanionis
– Brian Norman Jr.
– Conor Benn
An alternative would be for Top Rank to move Keyshawn up to where they should be fighting at 147 and target the beatable champions, Mario Barrios and Eimantas Stanionis. These are guys who will lose to many of the top fighters at 135, 140 and 147.
It wouldn’t be a good idea for Top Rank to match Keyshawn against WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. because he punches too hard and has too hard for him.
We saw how Albright beat Keyshawn and how he mentally wore down against Madueno when he started hitting hard. Norman would be a disaster for Keyshawn and would spank him in bloody fashion.
What we saw from Keyshawn in his fights against Albright and Madueno is a fighter who does not have the talent to be a world champion level fighter. Those two fights were eye-openers, showing that Keyshawn, a Virginia native, doesn’t have the goods to be a champion, unless it’s of the paper variety.
Top Rank noticed Keyshawn’s recent struggles against fringe contenders and offered him a lesser fighter for his November 8 headliner, but he chose Lemos.
He does not want to face his conqueror Andy Cruz
Keyshawn wanted someone good, but obviously not someone too good. If he wanted to put his career in jeopardy to show true courage, he would bite the bullet and face his four-time conqueror, Cuba. Andy Cruzwhich beat him like a drum repeatedly in the amateur ranks.
Cruz has called him repeatedly since turning pro and refers to him as his “son.” Interestingly, Keyshawn is adamant about not wanting to fight Cruz, which indicates that he knows what it would do to his career, as it is. Being beaten four times by Cruz in the amateur ranks is one thing, but losing to him in the pros would end Keyshawn’s hopes of ever making the millions he dreams of.
This could go back to Keyshawn because Lemos has talent, and he could win, as long as there is no controversy.
Lemos’ power and aggressive style are pure problems for Keyshawn, who is about to turn 26 and has yet to fight anyone. Davis is ranked #3 in the IBF, WBC and WBO.
Top Rank is positioning Keyshawn to fight WBO lightweight champion Denys Berinchyk, who is seen as the weakest link among the division’s available champions.
Keyshawn would have his best chance of winning a belt against him because he’s essentially a welterweight who shrinks down to 35 to fight the smaller kids. Keyshawn will have a huge size advantage against Berinchyk, who is a true lightweight.
2020 Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn (11-0, 7 KOs) was quickly taken down by Top Rank, who recently lost to Shakur Stevenson. They are pushing Keyshawn faster than they probably would have if things had been different.
They are that new future star that the sport needs. I will be the face that is in God’s Plans. #8 November⭐️
– Keyshawn Davis (@KeyshawnDavis8) October 23, 2024
