Keyshawn Davis. Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images
Not since the days of Pernell Whitaker has there been a boxing event of this magnitude to hit The Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.
At just 25 years old, Keyshawn Davis wasn’t around to see “Sweet Pea” pack the biggest arena in the “Mermaid City,” but he’s heard plenty of stories of the entire city coming out to support their boxing star. The Boxing Hall of Famer fought there ten times – in addition to a number of other times around the Hampton Roads area – and now the 2020 Olympic silver medalist turned lightweight contender is hoping to start a tradition of his own there.
Davis (11-0, 7 knockouts) will face Gustavo Lemos (29-1, 19 KOs) in the ten round main event on Friday, Nov. 8 at The Scope, with the bout to air live on ESPN+.
Davis says the only previous events he had attended at The Scope were the Christmas high school basketball games, where his high school team would be in action and so would Davis, chatting with girls from around the area. Now he is set to be the main attraction.
“The vibe is crazy. The day they dropped the tickets, they were camping outside the box office at 4 a.m. to get the tickets like Jordans are about to drop. The city is going crazy behind this,” Davis told The Ring in a video interview.
Keyshawn won’t be the only Davis on the card, however. His older brother Kelvin Davis (13-0, 7 KOs) will face Yeis Solano (15-3, 10 KOs) in an eight round junior welterweight bout, while his younger brother, 2024 U.S. Olympic trials champion Keon Davis will make his pro debut in a four round welterweight bout against Jalen Moore (1-1, 1 KO).
Together, the brothers form a collective they call “DB3”. While Keyshawn and Kelvin have fought many times on the same cards, both amateur and professional, Keyshawn has never gotten to fight on the same card as his 23-year-old brother, which is an added perk for this event.
“For DB3 the Davis brothers to be bringing it back to the town and just reflecting on the last time he did it which is 30 years. It’s like man, we’ve gotta do it as big or bigger so we’ve gotta reach out to as much people as he did, kids, families, to let the people know there’s a new spark in the city. This is something new, this is something fresh, it’s not a concert coming to the city, it’s not celebrities that you’ve never seen before, it’s not football or basketball, this is a boxing event and these three boxers all grew up in the city. We all went to elementary school, we all went to middle school and high school in the city. People actually know us for being in the city. This is big for us but it’s huge for the city because they know where we came from,” said Davis.
Against, Lemos, 28, of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Davis is fighting what many expect will be his most difficult fight to date, though Davis says that has been the case almost each time he’s stepped into the ring. Lemos will be fighting for just the second time in the United States, but he made a significant impact in that fight, losing a close decision to Richardson Hitchins in April.
“It was definitely a 50-50 fight, it could have gone either way or it could have been a draw,” said Davis, when asked about Lemos vs. Hitchins.
“What I’m gonna do with him? I’m gonna beat his ass. I’m not gonna play with him. Every single time I fight people are like ‘Oh Keyshawn is fighting this person, he’s a step up’ and then I go in there and beat their ass. Not being cocky, I just know what I’m God gifted with. I’m gifted with a blessing, and a lot of fighters are not blessed.”
Should he get past Lemos, Davis says he has his sights on anyone with a belt at 135 pounds, be it IBF titleholder Vasiliy Lomachenko or WBO titleholder Denys Berinchyk, but the highest profile possible matchup Keyshawn Davis could line up would be against Gervonta “Tank” Davis, holder of the WBA belt and one of the sport’s biggest box office attractions.
Keyshawn Davis hasn’t been shy about calling out the unbeaten Baltimore native, though he’s not optimistic in “Tank” Davis seeking that fight out.
“Definitely interested in fighting Tank for sure, I didn’t call him out for no reason. If Tank wants to fight me, he’ll send me a contract, the same way he sent Frank Martin a contract, the same way he sent Lamont Roach a contract. He can do anything he wants to do,” said Keyshawn Davis.
“I would beat the shit out of Tank. He’s too short, he’s not gonna be able to touch me. You can’t just give up rounds on me, there’s a lot of habits that he created that he can’t do against me.”
