Lightweight contender Keyshawn Davis anticipates an “action-packed” bout against Miguel Madueño in their ten-round contest on Saturday night, July 6th, at the Prudential Center in New Jersey.
Davis (10-0, KOs), who recently secured a sixth-round knockout victory over 35-year-old veteran Jose Pedraza on February 8th at the Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, aims to make a statement against Madueño (31-2, 28 KOs).
Keyshawn and Madueño will be fighting on the undercard of Shakur Stevenson vs. Artem Harutyunyan, with the event airing live on ESPN at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT. Madueño suffered a wide ten-round unanimous decision loss to Steve Claggett on November 14, 2023, in Montreal, Canada, with Claggett dominating nearly every round.
This context highlights that Saturday’s fight between Keyshawn and Madueño is primarily a rank-building bout for Keyshawn, though it won’t prepare him to dethrone the champions at 135, such as Shakur, Gervonta Davis, Vasily Lomachenko, or Denys Berinchyk.
Keyshawn appears to be a full-fledged 140-pounder, raising questions about why he remains at 135, where he is notably large for the division. Given his friendship with Shakur, a fight between them is unlikely, and he may never get the chance to face Tank Davis or Lomachenko. These match-ups are problematic for Keyshawn, as Lomachenko is likely to retire without fighting him, and Tank could move up to 140 within two or three fights.
Andy Cruz is highly ranked in the 135-pound division, and Keyshawn has already lost to him four times in the amateur ranks. Any lightweight title Keyshawn hopes to win won’t stay with him long if Cruz becomes the mandatory challenger. Top Rank is aware of Keyshawn’s limitations, so they will likely delay the fight with Andy Cruz for as long as possible to avoid the inevitable.
Berinchyk is the only opponent Keyshawn might have a chance of beating, but it’s still a tough fight, and he could lose that as well. If Top Rank waits until the 36-year-old Berinchyk ages further, Keyshawn might be able to defeat him, but not at the moment.
“I always knew I was going to be in this position. So, it’s not really a big deal for me,” said Keyshawn Davis in media reports
Keyshawn doesn’t clarify what he means by being “in this position.” From what I can see, Keyshawn is just one of many contenders and is ranked below #1 William Zepeda and #2 Raymond Muratalla. He’s unlikely to defeat those fighters, and it would be unwise for Top Rank to match Keyshawn against them.
“I knew I was a talented kid, and I knew I was a talented teenager. Right now, I’m just working to become a world champion. I don’t really care about being a rising star,” added Keyshawn.
