The Olympic Silver Medalist Is Focused on February 14 Title Shot Against Denys Berinchyk Before Pursuing Tank
Keyshawn Davis has his sights set on a showdown with Gervonta “Tank” Davis following his February 14th fight against Denys Berinchyk at Madison Square Garden, New York. The event will be broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN+. Like many others in the lightweight division, Keyshawn has repeatedly called out ‘Tank’ for a fight, but, much like the rest, he has been met with silence.
An Olympic silver medalist in 2021, Keyshawn has quickly risen through the ranks and is now set to compete for a world title in just his 13th professional fight. ‘The Businessman’ aims to secure his first major championship this weekend, which would, at least on paper, place him in the same conversation as Gervonta Davis, Vasiliy Lomachenko, and Shakur Stevenson.
While any matchup among those four fighters would be a blockbuster event, a showdown between Keyshawn and Tank could stand out as the most exciting of them all.
That said, Keyshawn Davis appears to have grown weary of trying to persuade Gervonta Davis to grant him the fight he believes he deserves. Whether the two will ever share the ring remains uncertain. As big as the fight could be, Keyshawn (12-0, 8 KOs) has made it clear that he won’t chase a bout with Tank (30-0, 28 KOs). Instead, he is focused on forging his own path and seeing where it takes him. He also likened the situation to Canelo Alvarez and David Benavidez—two top fighters, but one waiting for the other to show genuine interest in making the fight happen.
“I would love to face [Gervonta Davis]. … I just think he [doesn’t] have the balls to fight me. I really just feel that way… I don’t think he really got the balls to see me on contract and fight me,” said Keshawn Davis in a recent interview with Fight Hub TV.
“I’m just waiting for him to send me a contract, bro,” Keyshawn said.
“I feel like, with me and him, making a fight is easier because everybody knows who the A side is. Everybody knows what the f**k’s going on when it comes down to me and him as far as making a fight. I feel like it’s actually a really easy fight to make and it’s definitely easy promoting it.”
‘Tank,’ meanwhile, is slated to face WBA featherweight champion Lamont Roach Jr. on March 1st in Brooklyn. Still, Keyshawn Davis believes that if Gervonta were truly interested, making a fight between them would be a straightforward process.
Keyshawn has his sights set on big names like Gervonta Davis and dismisses the idea of facing 2020 Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz, whom he doesn’t see as a worthwhile opponent. However, when questioned about why he wouldn’t fight Cruz in the pro ranks—after losing to him four times as an amateur—Keyshawn had a series of justifications. It’s clear he wants to avoid a fifth loss to Cruz, which could derail his career before he secures major paydays with Top Rank.
Cruz has arguably looked more impressive in his five professional fights than Keyshawn has in his 12 bouts under Top Rank. From a pure boxing perspective, Cruz appears to be the superior prospect, yet Matchroom isn’t giving him the same promotional push that Top Rank is giving Keyshawn. This likely stems from the fact that Top Rank no longer has Shakur Stevenson, so they are heavily investing in Keyshawn, hoping he can rise to stardom—even if it’s more manufactured than organic.
