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Keyshawn Davis discusses being ready to take on top fighters at lightweight

Fast-rising lightweight Keyshawn Davis says he believes in his heart that he’s prepared for the best at 135 and his best friend Shakur Stevenson thinks so, too.

Keyshawn Davis is confident he’s ready for the top fighters in his division.
Wil Esco is an assistant editor of Bad Left Hook and has been covering boxing for SB Nation since 2014.

Lightweight fighter Keyshawn Davis just made his appearance on Brian Custer’s Last Stand Podcast and spoke about his vision for his career, thoughts on his close friend and contemporary Shakur Stevenson, and feeling like he’s prepared to take on the best at 135. Check out some excerpts of what Davis had to say below.

Davis on calling out Frank Martin and if he believes they’ll fight this year

“I believe it can happen if both fighters wanted to make it happen. Me, of course, I’m willing to make it happen. I’m definitely willing to make it happen. So I feel like on his end, him and Errol, or whoever else he work with, if they really want the fight then we can fight this year.”

On where he feels like he’s at in his development

“I’m right now, I just stepped into contender status. Burgos, I would say, was my first real contender and people was like ‘okay, he only fought one of them.’ So now that I beat the hell out of Anthony Yigit it’s like ‘okay, this guy is a real contender, he can fight, he can take on these other fighters, put him in there with all the guys we want to see.’”

On saying he’s ready for a world title shot right now despite being in a deep lightweight pool

“Truth be told, I literally just got off the phone, I just hung up the phone with Shakur...I’m a person that really believes in myself so I want to get other people’s opinions too. Like am I tripping or do what I believe is that really true, is there other people that believe that in that, too? He’s like ‘bro, what you believe in, keep believing in that because I believe in it too. I feel like you’re ready for them top (fighters).’

“My belief is that it is real, that I can fight these guys.”

On who he thinks he can realistically fight next

“Right now we’re looking at somebody in the top five. I don’t want to throw a name out there yet because this person didn’t accept an offer and I didn’t hear nothing back yet. It was just ‘we’re looking into this person.’ But the only hint I would throw out there is he’s in the top five in the WBO.”

On his goals in professional boxing

“I don’t really have no goals. First of all, I’m fighting because I love it. My main goal was to go the Olympics and win a gold medal. I went to the Olympics, I got the opportunity to win gold but I didn’t — I gotta suck that up, right. So now it’s like I lived out my dream. So now I’m pro, just keep knocking people out. And wherever that takes me, I’m gonna just keep riding the wave. But I don’t really have no goals.

“Okay, I know I’m gonna be world champion, that’s a goal, but I don’t know how I want to leave my legacy here, put it like that. But I know when it’s all said and done, I feel like I’m gonna be remembered.”

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