Kicking off fight week in his homecoming bout, a crossroads world title eliminator against an uber-dangerous talent in Gustavo Lemos, unbeaten lightweight contender Keyshawn Davis knows he has a job to do. First, the 25-year-old talent will soak up another motivating moment alongside his two brothers celebrating the arduous path en route to this juncture.
Davis can’t afford to falter back home in Norfolk
KEYSHAWN will tell you he was destined for this stage, born for it even, but you never really know. Friday night, we’ll get a better understanding of whether he deserves a burgeoning star status that the Top Rank/ESPN machine are firmly behind, much like they once were with WBC lightweight titleholder Shakur Stevenson and heavyweight standout Jared Anderson in their respective home cities.
Davis (11-0, 7 KOs) hasn’t had a seamless route to this juncture but that has stood him in good stead. Following a ninth-round TKO win over longtime contender Anthony Yigit in April last year, he flattered to deceive despite a commanding 10-round decision win over Francesco Patera three months later.
Questions surrounding his defensive vulnerabilities persisted as he laboured through a 10-round majority decision win over Nahir Albright, one overturned to a no-contest after he tested positive for marijuana in a drugs test before a proposed step-up bout against Jose Pedraza that December.
He returned to score a sixth-round TKO at Pedraza’s expense (Feb. 7) before a dominant decision win against Miguel Magdaleno (July 6), having finally cut his addictive habit and noticing positive changes as a result.
Although at 25, the Olympic silver medallist knows he needs more to reach the summit. That’s where Lemos, who gave impending IBF world title challenger Richardson Hitchins all he could handle, enters the picture.
The 28-year-old Argentinian, nicknamed El Electrico, has long held versions of IBF gold in his native South America from youth level and Latino versions of a strap he was agonisingly close to boxing for at world championship level.
However, the judges narrowly ruled it in Hitchins’ favour: 117-111, 115-113 x 2 and the Brooklyn-born standout hinted post-fight at some things going awry behind-the-scenes in camp, without wanting to divulge details after a gruelling 12 rounds.
Nonetheless, a healthy and hydrated Lemos poses problems Davis will have never felt before and that’s part of the jeopardy in making this matchup against a terrier-like competitor there to be hit and fire back just as fiercely.
Elsewhere on the bill, an intriguing middleweight co-main event between Troy Isley and Tyler Howard has all the ingredients of a show-stealer after Davis’ older brother Kelvin (13-0, 7 KOs) boxes Yeis Solano (15-3, 10 KOs) over eight rounds at light-middle and younger brother Keon makes his professional bow in the same division against Jalen Moore. Time for a happy trifecta?
Opening picture via Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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