Keyshawn Davis Is The Real Deal: Plain & Simple
On Saturday night, Keyshawn Davis showed that not only is he the real deal but that he is scary good at this point of his young career.
Keyshawn Davis (8-0) is an exceptional fighter, and that is scary to say about someone who has only been a pro for two years. The 24-year-old Davis, a 2020 Olympic silver medalist, has been bubbling quietly under the Top Rank banner for a while now, and those who have followed his amateur career know that he is destined to be great.
Last night, in front of a packed crowd at The Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, and opening the ESPN telecast, Davis showed that he is ready for primetime. Davis fought Anthony Yigit (26-3-1), who has shared the ring with some experienced fighters in his ten-year career but had not come across someone like Davis.
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – APRIL 08: Anthony Yigit (L) and Keyshawn Davis (R) exchange punches during their lightweight fight at Prudential Center on April 08, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)
Trained by Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre, Davis has become more of a complete fighter in each matchup he is involved with. Early in the fight against Yigit, Davis’ punch output was low but concentrated on the body. A move that would pay dividends later on in the fight. Once those hard body shots by Davis started to affect Yigit, then came the uppercuts. It wasn’t just how Davis threw them that impressed me the most; it was the way he set those punches up, which raised a good eyebrow. Davis was making these slight feints and foot movements early on, which made Yigit move a certain way, and when going back to it later on, Davis adjusted it slightly to land his crushing offense.
Davis is a real thinker in there and listens to BoMac’s instructions which isn’t always the case between fighter and trainer. Davis paces himself, and his punch selection is at an advanced level than what fighters at his experience level are doing. Then in the ninth round of the fight, Davis landed a right uppercut to the body, forcing Yigit to take a knee, and the end was near. After Davis threw a few punches, the referee stopped the fight.
Business is BOOMIN'
🌟 @KeyshawnDavis8 keeps putting on shows! #ShakurYoshino pic.twitter.com/PYzTNjv0hi
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) April 9, 2023
After the fight, Davis said, “It was fun. We were both talking trash. He kind of brought that anger out of me today, but I had to find a way to control it, and we got the victory. I really just asked ‘BoMac’ what to do. He told me to start moving to my left more, to use more feints, and to let him come to me so that the knockout can come.”
Afterward, Davis called out lightweight contender Frank Martin (who is promoted by unified welterweight Errol Spence Jr. Davis), and Martin have been going back & forth on social media. Davis and Martin are two of the top lightweights in the division, but they fight under two different promoters and networks. Here lies the problem with boxing; because of it, we may not see this matchup soon. Maybe something comes up, and the two sides can make this matchup happen, but I wouldn’t bet the house on that thought.
A hell of a performance for Norfolk’s own 🌟@KeyshawnDavis8 | #ShakurYoshino pic.twitter.com/CoTkKBggwW
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) April 9, 2023
Instead, Top Rank will keep Keyshawn Davis busy, and when the infinity stones (sanctioning body titles) are removed from Thanos’ glove (undisputed champ), Davis will be right there awaiting a shot at one of the titles. Until then, enjoy watching a young fighter continue to shine bright like a diamond.
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