When Top Rank first approached undefeated lightweight and top prospect Keeshon “The Businessman” Davis in a homecoming fight in his native Norfolk, Virginia, the 2020 US Olympic silver medalist loved everything about the idea except for the opponent.
A long-time central player in the top-ranked, boxing promotional world, known for his attention to detail in matchmaking after success turning young hopefuls into stars of the future, the 25-year-old Davis is favored to match his skills against the former featherweight titleholder and Jamaican. Slugger Nicholas “The Ax Man” Walters.
That’s where Davis (11-0, 7 KOs) put his foot down.
“It’s real … I denied (the top rank request) as soon as they said Nicholas,” Davis said. told CBS Sports last week. “(Walters) is a decent fighter, he’s only 38. My team asked me to sit down with Top Rank and figure it out (so) I went to the Top Rank office and told them I didn’t want to fight Nicholas. Because when I saw him Stopping, then they’ll say ‘The Businessman’ stopping a 38-year-old isn’t going to be a significant win.
“I didn’t want to come to my hometown and get knocked out because it’s easy. I want to give them a real fight.”
Instead, Davis asked tough and battle-tested Argentine Gustavo Lemos (29-1, 19 KOs) for the fight, which headlines Friday’s card from The Scope in what amounts to Norfolk’s first major boxing event since Hall-of-Famer Parnell. Whittaker defended his WBC welterweight title against James “Buddy” McGirt in 1994.
The event is very much a family affair for Davis, who will share the card with his two brothers Kelvin (13-0), a 27-year-old welterweight, and Keon, a 6-foot-3 junior middleweight who, 23, will be making his pro debut. All three go by the moniker “DB3”, complete with their own logos and merchandise
The tie-in was also intended as a “sweet pea” with Whittaker, the 1984 US Olympic gold medalist from Norfolk, who before his untimely death in 2019 when he was hit by a car while crossing the street, was the primary mentor for the three Davises who identified their talent in an amateur tournament. After doing bro. The Davis family, in fact, invited the Whittaker family to watch Friday’s ceremony in person.
“It means a lot to me, honestly,” Davis said. “I love my city. The way I perform, it’s because of where I come from. Where I come from, I get my character, my confidence and my mindset.”
Davis said she feels no pressure to headline an event that was put together because of her. And if you listen to him during interviews, many of which see him call out boxing’s biggest stars, including lightweight champion Garvonta “Tank” Davis, it’s easy to see why.
What Davis is most excited about, however, is getting to show the world just how talented her family really is. And the fact that it was an instant sell-out event with over 9,000 tickets sold is just the icing on the cake.
“It means the world and shout out to the top for giving us this show in our hometown,” Davis said. “But it’s something we’ve been saying since we were in middle school and we made it happen. We put in the work and made our names enough that we could sell out this place. We didn’t want a downer scene. When we dream, we go big. dream
“We’re still trying to show the world that it’s not just ‘business.’ It’s ‘DB3.’ It’s the Davis brothers, the three of us have been Keon Pros, now I can say we’re finally kicking it off and actually growing our brand so people know what it’s all about.”
Although the three brothers are quite different in terms of their size and the weight class they currently operate in, Davis believes they all share what he calls an “I’m going to beat your ass” mentality.
“We’re all from Norfolk and from the same mom and dad. We’re all here trying to have the biggest fight,” Davis said. “Now that the younger brother, Keon Davis, is making his debut, you’re all going to see that his potential is off the charts. He has a lot more potential than me and my older brother. I honestly think he’s going to be better than me and my oldest brother. People are going to fall in love with him just like they fell in love with me.”
Acting as the spoiler is Lemos, a 28-year-old fighter from Buenos Aires looking to redeem himself from his first pro loss in April when he dropped a close and controversial unanimous decision to undefeated Richardson Hitchins in as many fights. He felt he had done enough to win. The fight was also Lemos’ first outside of Argentina.
“I don’t see any difference between this and my last fight,” Lemos said at Wednesday’s final press conference. “I have a strong opponent, and I’m going to take advantage of this opportunity. I’ve always said that (Davis) is a good opponent and we’re going to have a good fight.”
Although Davis argued with his own promoter about changing Friday’s opponent to the more capable Lemos, “The Businessman” as a 6-to-1 betting favorite believes his opponent will be too much to handle.
“(Lemos) is going to be as tough as any of my opponents,” Davis said. “People have to start giving my name a different respect. If you know boxing like I do, Gustavo Lemos has never fought someone as brutal as me to actually fight him.”
Davis vs. Lemos fight card, odds
- Keeshon Davis -600 vs. Gustavo Daniel Lemos +425, Lightweight
- Rhys Alim -1800 vs Rhys Alim Darlene Hernandez +850, Featherweights
- Troy Isley -1600 vs. Tyler Howard +800, Middleweights
- Abdullah Mason -3500 vs Yohan Vasquez +1300, Lightweights
Where to watch Davis vs. Lemos
- Date: Friday, November 8
- Location: Scope Arena — Norfolk, Virginia
- Start Time: 6:20 p.m. ET
- Streaming: ESPN+
Prophecy
While Lemos will undoubtedly be motivated to avenge such a controversial loss, the talent difference between him and Davis is clear.
Lemos is a decent puncher with a good reputation as a hard out, but he will leave Davis about five inches in height and the same amount in reach. And although Davies is better known for his slick skills in the deep Olympic run in Tokyo, it is his punches and combinations of offensive power that have regularly overwhelmed his opposition, including an impressive stoppage of former world champion Jose Pedraza in February. .
Up to this point, Davis has been everything he says he is and more as a professional. Look for him to display every bit of his talent and showmanship in a one-sided takedown of a durable opponent. Pick: Davis via TKO8
Leave a comment