U.S. Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn Davis is eager for a world title opportunity, but first he’ll need to get past a two-division world champion.
Davis will take on Jose “Sniper” Pedraza in a 10-round lightweight battle on Thursday, Feb. 8 at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
Davis-Pedraza will serve as the co-feature to the junior welterweight showdown between WBO and Ring Magazine world champion Teofimo Lopez and Jamaine Ortiz.
Lopez-Ortiz and Davis-Pedraza will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.
Davis (9-0, 6 KOs), from Norfolk, Virginia, has graduated from prospect to contender as he continues to make his case for a world title shot. The 24-year-old is coming off an active 2023 in which he stopped Anthony Yigit via ninth-round TKO in April and shut out Francesco Patera by 10-round decision in July. In October, he defeated Philadelphia-born contender Nahir Albright via majority decision that was later ruled a no contest. Pedraza (29-5-1, 14 KOs), a two-division world champion from Puerto Rico, returns to lightweight following a junior welterweight campaign that included tough fights against Jose Zepeda and Lindolfo Delgado.
Following a recent training session at the Top Rank Gym in Las Vegas, this is what Davis had to say:
“I’m dialed in and focused. I’m pushing every day, training two or three times each day. Running, sparring, strength and conditioning. The work I’m putting in is starting to show.”
“I’m not counting down the days until the fight, I’m making these days count. This fight is only the beginning of how far I can go in my career.”
“This is a big fight for me and the only thing I can focus on. I bet Pedraza is doing the same thing. Fighting a guy like him, who has won multiple world titles, has made me lock in even more.”
“I give a lot of credit to Pedraza for taking this fight. He has fought a lot of former world champions with a ton of accolades and more fights and experience than me. Pedraza has been a main event fighter and will give me an opportunity to show everyone what I’m truly capable of doing. After I beat Pedraza, I become a main event fighter.”