Keyshawn Davis says his fight against Argentinian Gustavo Lemos on November 8th will be like his last one against Miguel Madueno on July 6th. Top Rank-promoted Keyshawn (20-0, 7 KOs) feels Lemos (29-1, 19 KOs) will make it the same type of fight in their 10-round headliner on ESPN+.
I hope Keyshawn is kidding about the Lemos clash being a similar fight as his last one because that was like a wrestling match, but with Davis being the one doing it.
Top Rank’s Best Card of the Year?
“The co-main [Brian Norman Jr. vs. Derrieck Cuevas] is a world championship fight. You’ve got Abdullah Mason on the card, and Troy Isley. There’s so much talent on the card. This is the best Top Rank card of the year by far from bottom to top,” said Keyshawn Davis to Fighthype about his November 8th event in Norfolk, Virginia.
WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) should be in the headliner spot for his title defense against #7 Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs) because that’s a better fight than the main event. Moreover, Norman is a world champion, and there are a lot of doubts about whether Keyshawn will ever reach that level.
Top Rank may have guessed wrong, choosing Keyshawn to give a big promotional push rather than Norman or Abdullah Mason on the undercard.
Keyshawn hasn’t shown the kind of talent that suggests he’s capable of ever winning a world title at 135. If he fought Keyshawn, I would pick the 20-year-old Abdullah Mason by early knockout, and he’s five years younger.
Will Keyshawn Pan Out?
“You can tell who Top Rank is pushing to be the next star. They believe in me. They know I have all the potential, the charisma, and the talent to take them there. I’m here to be Top Rank’s next star. I’m here to be the heart of Top Rank.”
This wouldn’t be the first time Top Rank guessed wrong when picking a fighter to put their energy behind to give a big promotional push. Look at how they whiffed with Edgar Berlanga. The only thing that Keyshawn has going for him at lightweight is his size. He looked like a welterweight after rehydrating, and his size gives him an advantage over true lightweights.
Keyshawn can’t make a future of being a weight bully because a fighter can only get away with that for so long before they begins losing energy due to being drained. If Keyshawn moved up where he belongs at 147 and fought Brian Norman Jr. or Jaron Ennis, it wouldn’t end well for him.
“They need it right now. They believe in me. They’re pushing me towards that, and I’m here to say for them.
Davis’ Wrestling Tactics
“Gustavo [Lemos] is coming to fight. If you didn’t see my last fight [Miguel Madueno], go watch it because that’s how Gustavo is going to fight. Y’all are going to enjoy this as well from round one to round ten. My last fight was action-packed.
Surely, Keyshawn is joking because he was clinching and wrestling Madueno all night in their 10-round undercard fight on July 6th on the undercard of Shakur Stevenson vs. Artem Harutyunyan in Newark.
“So, if you want a little preview of what you’re going to see on Friday, just go back and watch my last fight, Keyshawn Davis vs. Miguel [Madueno]. Go back and watch my last fight, and on Friday, November 8th, stay tuned to another action-packed fight from ‘The Businessman,” said Davis.
Keyshawn-Lemos will fight in Keyshawn’s hometown at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. Lemos, 28, was on the receiving end of a controversial 12-round unanimous decision against Richarson Hitchinson on April 6th in Las Vegas.
To be safe, Lemos should focus on going for a knockout to avoid losing by another questionable decision. Keyshawn needs to limit the holding & wrestling he does because he holding Miguel Madueno all night, using that as his first line of defense, and he got away with murder.
The referee should have penalized or at least warned Keyshawn, the 2020 Olympic silver medalist because he was repeatedly grabbing Madueno and wouldn’t let go.
Davis, 25, forced the referee to peel him off like a giant Sea Lamprey. That fight showed that Keyshawn does not handle pressure well. He is right about Lemos. He’s a fighter that applies nonstop pressure like Madueno.
