Keyshawn Davis Aims For Fame Prior To The Confrontation With Gustavo Lemos In Norfolk

Davis, who hand-selected his opponent, is under pressure to prove himself in front of his hometown supporters amid criticism of his prior performances

Keyshawn Davis goes into the spotlight, eager to demonstrate that he is the lightweight boxing of the future / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

By Miriam Onyango

Keysawn Davis thinks he'll be on the verge of stardom after his performance against Gustavo Lemos on Friday, November 8. In the main event of a ten-round lightweight bout on ESPN+ at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia, Keyshawn (11-0, 7 KOs), the undefeated 2020 Olympic silver medalist, takes on Lemos (29-1, 19 KOs)

President of Top Rank Todd Duboef claims that Keyshawn personally selected Lemos to be his opponent. He doesn't explain why Keyshawn didn't choose Andy Cruz of Cuba, who is ranked far better at lightweight than Lemos and has a perfect 4-0 amateur record versus him. Cruz and Eddie Hearn, his promoter, have been attempting to reach Keyshawn but to no avail.

The Top Rank-endorsed 10,000 spectators are expected to witness Keyshawn fight Lemos, and he has two of his brothers competing on the undercard. In Norfolk, there are more than 232,000 people living. Therefore, compared to a larger metropolis like New York, which has 8.3 million residents, it is easier to be a big ticket seller in that little town with not much going on. On July 6, Keyshawn won a ten-round bout over Miguel Madueno on the bill that also included Shakur Stevenson and Artem Harutyunyan. Keyshawn's performance in that fight was subpar. He claims to have stolen the show, but in reality, he was on level with Shakur's performance.

He was lucky with the referee's lax enforcement of the rules, yet it was unexpected that he wasn't disqualified or penalized for his repeated use of unfair techniques. If I had been the referee, Keyshawn would have been out after the sixth. He was just that bad that evening, and he didn't get any better in October of last year when he fought Nahir Albright.

“Of course, I would pick Lomachenko first, but if I could become a world champion, then I’m going to become a world champion. I’m not going to be waiting on nobody’s time,” said Keysahwn Davis in media reports.

“I sell. So, I don’t need a name to help me sell. So whatever world champion wants to entertain me first, that’s who I’m going to go after. Me and Berinchyk will be a great fight. Of course, I’m going to be the winner of that fight, but I think it’ll be good for him in terms of marketing and promotion,” added Kayshawn.

Denys Berinchyk, the WBO lightweight champion, is a strong favorite to defeat Keyshawn, and he could win. It's a given that Top Rank will fire Keyshawn if he falls to Berinchyk. That would mark Keyshawn's third subpar showing in his last four bouts. We are still unsure of Keyshawn's performance against Lemos. It could also make him appear awful.