It seemed like just yesterday that Keyshawn Davis turned pro. But while he only has roughly two years of professional experience underneath his belt, the former Olympic silver medalist isn’t interested in taking the easy road.
With a handful of eye-catching performances to his name, the 24-year-old took a considerable step up in competition earlier this month. In front of a jam-packed crowd at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, Davis squared off against Anthony Yigit.
Initially viewed as a significant test, Davis (8-0, 6 KOs) effortlessly steamrolled the normally durable contender, stopping him dead in his tracks in the ninth frame. Immediately following his victory, Davis turned his attention to Frank Martin.
Ultimately, despite wanting to get his hands on the powerful southpaw, a showdown between them is unlikely, at least for now. A more realistic option for the talented up-and-comer is a matchup against Jamaine Ortiz.
In recent months, Davis has expressed his desire to face the current lightweight contender. And while Ortiz is normally stoic and soft-spoken, he quickly revealed that if Davis truly wants it, he can easily get it.
“If he wants to fight I think we can get that on,” said Ortiz to BoxingScene.com. “I don’t think that’s a problem.”
Ortiz, 26, is still attempting to rinse off the stench of bitter disappointment stemming from his latest outing. On October 29th, 2022, the Dominican native took on former lightweight kingpin, Vasiliy Lomachenko.
In spite of oddsmakers writing him off, Ortiz fought masterfully. Although the end result wasn’t to his liking, Ortiz’s stock soared. As he sits back and observes the rest of the lightweight division, Davis becomes a more captivating option.
Recently, Ortiz took a bit of time out of his busy schedule to do a bit of scouting. While he admits that Davis was fairly impressive against Yigit, he doesn’t believe that he’ll bring something to the table that he can’t handle.
“He wasn’t really throwing much. He was picking his shots well. He’s not really much of a volume puncher, he tries to counter, that’s about it.”