KEYSHAWN TO THE KINGDOM
Tokyo, Andy Cruz? Or will he get a few defenses under his belt against lesser- named competition that will allow him to keep building his own profile? There are a lot of options. But maybe three days after being crowned is too early to ask Davis who’s next. “Honestly, man, I don’t care about one specific person or nothing like that,” Davis said. “I just want to make a big fight happen. I’m a world champion and I got a big name and I’m hot right now. So I’m not about to say I want to fight this person or that person. Whoever that other big name is that wants to fight me, the first big name that wants to fight me, we’re going to make it happen.” In various pre- and post- fight interviews, Davis has mentioned Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz as a potential dance partner, and that fight would be an intriguing barometer to see where the new champ is at. Because while he has done all that’s been asked of him thus far as a pro, he will readily admit that no one has forced him into deep waters yet. He won’t give a specific name, but he will reveal the kind of opponent that fits the bill for him, and it’s why he wants the big fights sooner rather than later. “I’m young and I’m ready,” he said. “And honestly, the real reason is that I haven’t really been challenged as a professional yet. All my fights, they’ve been saying they’re steps up and that this person might give me some sort of challenge and stuff like that, and they haven’t lived up to it. I’m looking for someone that’s actually going to challenge me in the ring, that’s actually going to give me a fight. I get in the ring and I’m giving them guys a fight, and nine times out of 10, I’m stopping those guys or just beating them up for all those rounds. So I’m really out here just trying to find a challenge, somebody that’s actually going to challenge ‘The Businessman.’” Despite Davis’ amateur pedigree, 14 pro fights isn’t a large sample size, regardless of what the likes
of Lomachenko and heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk did in less than 20 bouts. So while Davis looks like the real deal, with the speed, power and fight IQ to succeed, when the competition level rises, will he do the same? “I’ve been saying for the last year that he’s starting to really impress me,” said Atlas. “He’s sitting down and not just moving for the sake of moving. Now he’s stepping instead of moving. Instead of just floating, he’s stepping, moving, changing range, controlling range, being responsible, getting an angle and doing appropriate things “I’m young and I’m ready. And honestly ... I haven’t really been challenged as a professional yet.” for what we say is supposed to be the sweet science. I’ve seen that. I’ve seen the maturity. I’ve seen the confidence. I’ve seen the understanding.” That respect for the craft is a dying art in the sport these days, as fighters often rely on athleticism and power to get their way in the ring with little regard for the finer points of the sport or the ability to listen to those who have been there before them. Davis has that respect for the game and is a willing learner, as well as leader, in the gym. “That’s one of the reasons why he picked our team and our team of coaches, because he wants to learn,” said McIntyre. “He wants to learn on the high-end level. So I’m more than willing to work with the kid, and I love working with him. I love being around his family, being around him in the gym and just listening to him and his brothers talk. And that’s a good thing for me. You ain’t got to call him and tell him to come to the gym. You’ve got to pull him back. And that’s great. Just being around
different fighters and world champions, you can see that he wants it. You can see that he has that drive.” I mention to BoMac how it appears that Davis wants to fight everybody – and actually means it. “Yeah, he definitely does,” he laughs. “You know how Keyshawn is.” I think we do. It hasn’t been a long journey, but it’s been a good one and a revealing one. It’s made Davis someone people want to root for, not just in Norfolk, but in New York and around the world. It’s rare in a polarizing sports world where social media has made it easier to dislike someone than cheer for them. Why does Davis think people have embraced his story? “I feel like it’s because I’m authentic,” Davis said. “I don’t have nothing to hide. I show my true self. I’m one of the few fighters that goes live [on social media] at least twice a month and I speak my mind, but I don’t speak out of emotion. I make sense with everything that I’m saying, and I’m authentic. I told my story. I told [fans] where I come from. I told them how I used to do things and how I’m changing. They see how I’m praising God every single time I’m on camera, and they see the authenticity in me. You can’t deny that. You can’t deny somebody just being genuinely real. That’s the only thing I know how to be. So when you know yourself and you continue to be yourself, people are going to love that.” No one is going to love him like his son, though. And that feeling is mutual from dad, whose life was changed forever by the birth of Keyshawn Jr. “This is a physical sport, and people get seriously injured. People die in this ring,” said Davis. “So my main focus is coming out of this sport the same way I came in. Of course I want to be well- off, but I want to come out the same way I came in. I want him to have a father that can still run around with him and play with him and talk to him normally after my career is done. So that’s the main thing I focus on.”
Yet renowned trainer and analyst Teddy Atlas isn’t surprised. “He’s been through the fire, and when you’ve been through the fire, you have a much better chance of not panicking the next time it gets hot,” Atlas said. “And I’ll take it further. Actually getting comfortable in the heat, but at the same time understanding the difference between being comfortable in it and dealing with it and being consumed by it.” The fire is a good analogy for where Davis sits at the moment. Brian McIntyre knows something about that fire, too, and as the head coach of Davis and pound-for-pound great Terence
the growth inside your champion. You see the heart inside them. Keyshawn don’t shy away from nothing, man. He goes towards the smoke, he goes towards the fire, and he’s like a firefighter. He’s running out there to help; he’s going towards the fire. So whoever’s available for him and if it makes sense for him, let’s go.” And that’s the big question right now, isn’t it? The initial coronation complete, now we’ll see what’s next for Davis in a division full of intriguing matchups. Will he chase the big fights against the likes of Gervonta Davis, Vasiliy Lomachenko, Lopez and even the man who kept him from gold in
Beating Berinchyk was easy compared to what Davis overcame in life.
Crawford, “BoMac” believes that being comfortable in that proverbial heat will separate the Norfolk native from his peers as the stakes grow higher. “In a perfect world, I want Keyshawn to continue to grow,” said McIntyre. “So whoever’s available for him to defend his title, whoever’s available for him to unify with, that’s what I love, and that’s what I want for the kid. Because when you put challenges like that in front of you, that’s when you see
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