Keyshawn Davis blew 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 their four fights. Davis (11-0, 7 KOs) snapped at the interviewer when Cruz’s name was brought up and then went on an expletive-filled rant, yapping 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 shot to dangerous levels. That name still haunts Keyshawn after all these years.
Somehow, it’s hard to believe Keyshawn because Hearn said he would make the Cruz-Keyshawn fight in a second. Hearn wants that fight because he knows the 2020 Olympic gold medalist Cruz would school him for the fifth time, adding to his previous 4-0 record against the Virginia native.
“After I have a spectacular performance against Lemos, I’m going to be on the breaking point of being a superstar,” said Keyshawn Davis to Manouk Akopyan, discussing his hopes of becoming a star after his fight against Gustavo Lemos on Friday.
Beating Lemos won’t transform Keyshawn into a star because he’s not a big enough name. It didn’t do anything for Richardson Hitchins after he defeated 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’s mandatory is getting me my world title. After I became world champion, my name is solidified now. Not only am I an Olympic silver medalist, but I’m a world champion. Lomachenko, I think he’ll fight one more time and then retire. Hopefully, he picks me to fight. If he wins his fight and retires, then I’m going to go for the IBF,” said Keyshawn.
Lomachenko is NOT going to pick Keyshawn out if he’s down to the final fight of his career before retiring. There’s no money in a fight against Keyshawn, and he’s not going to want to fight some guy that looks like a welterweight in size. Keyshawn is not a world champion yet, and fans in the U.S. don’t care that he’s an Olympic silver medalist. That junk doesn’t impress American fans. All that proves is Keyshawn wasn’t good enough to win the gold medal against Andy Cruz.
“Me and [WBO champion] Berinchyk are friends. So, either one of those two lanes. Tank, Shakur, and me, I think we’re the best at 135. People are not going to give me credit, saying I’ve got to become a champion. I will fight anybody but Shakur.
“The ball is in their court. We’re waiting for them,” said Keyshawn when asked if he’d be interested in fighting Andy Cruz. “We already sent them a contract. I already got on live with Eddie Hearn and said to set up the fight. I don’t know what more y’all want me to do [to make the Andy Cruz fight]. ”
Actually, the ball is in Keyshawn’s court because he’s the one who has been dismissing the idea of fighting Cruz since he turned pro, saying that he brings nothing to the table and that it’s a different story now. It seems obvious to some that Keyshawn is afraid of Crawfurd, which is okay. That’s fine, but it would be good if Keyshawn admitted it so the media could stop asking him about that fight.
“Stop asking me this question,” Keyshawn said when asked about Cruz. “I already tried to fight these guys when I was still co-main. I could fight him now as a main event. If I send him a contract, is he going to sign it? I don’t know. I’m going for my world title and the biggest fights out there. He is one of the biggest fights out there.”
The media and the fans are going to keep asking Keyshawn about Cruz because he keeps saying different things when he’s brought up, which suggests that he doesn’t want to fight the talented Cuban due to repeated failures against him. When you get beaten over and over like Keyshawn did against Cruz, it’s understandable why you’re willing to say anything to dodge the fight. This isn’t the amateurs where Keyshawn can lose, and it’s no big deal. If he gets beaten by Cruz in the pro ranks, he can say goodbye to his dreams of fighting for a world title and making good money to buy houses.
“I’m not going to keep entertaining it if they’re not ready yet. What are they, 4-0? He’s not ready yet. He doesn’t have a fan base. His entire fan base is built around me. I will want to fight him in my next fight, but his promoters and managers are saying no,” said Keyshawn.
Eddie Hearn says differently. He called out 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’d make that fight. So, who are we to believe? Hearn or Keyshawn? Given that Cruz beat 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 want it.
