Gervonta Davis’ coach, Kenny Ellis, says Lamont Roach would beat WBO lightweight champion Keyshawn Davis. He feels Keyshawn (13-0, 9 KOs) weakens at midpoint in his fights at 135, appearing “Wobbly-looking.”
Some fans feel that Keyshawn is a weight bully, killing himself to stay at lightweight for as long as possible because it gives him an advantage over the smaller fighters.
They feel the 26-year-old Keyshawn should now be fighting at welterweight or junior middleweight instead of melting to 135. If Keyshawn moves up to 154, he’d have to face killers like Bakhram Murtazaliev and Vergil Ortiz Jr. He wouldn’t last long against those guys.
Legs Questioned
“Roach would get him,” said coach Kenny Ellis to MillCity Boxing when asked who wins between Keyshawn Davis and Lamont Roach. “Keyshawn gets fatigued halfway through a fight. His legs aren’t stable enough. No offense, Keyshawn. Go back and watch your fights. Your legs look funny. They look weak, wobbly-looking.”
Keyshawn’s legs might seem weak because he’s taking off so much weight to get down to 135. He’s looked enormous after rehydrating in his last two fights, appearing to be near 160. Taking that kind of weight off the week of the fight and putting it back on after weighing in, it’s hard on a fighter. Keyshawn needs to move up to 140 or more preferably 147, because he’s too big for the 135-lb division.
“It’s a smart thing to do to keep your name relevant,” said Ellis when told that Keyshawn was gloating about Gervonta Davis struggling against Roach in their fight on March 1st. “Keyshawn got rocked coming up before he got his title [against Nahir Albright]. His knees buckled.”
The fight that Ellis is talking about in which Keyshawn was staggered was against Nahir Albright on October 15, 2023. In the eighth round, Nahir tagged Keyshawn with a right to the head that buckled his knees. The remainder of the fight, Albright stalked Davis around the ring, hitting him with hard shots and forcing him to move.
After that fight, Top Rank backed Keyshawn off from fighting stiff competition, feeding him Jose Pedraza, Miguel Madueno and Gustavo Lemos before matching him against the weakest of the champions at lightweight, 36-year-old Denys Berinchyk.
“Tank got hit with some good shots [against Roach], but he didn’t buckle. I see Keyshawn get buckled a few fights back by a guy that shouldn’t have buckled him.
“You’re opponent trains just like you. They have a right to fire back at you,” said Ellis about Roach throwing back at Tank. “They’re fighters do. So, Roach has the right to fire back. They train too. At 135, Tank is #1. I got to rock with my boy, Abdullah Mason at #2. He [Roach] might get the #3 or #4 spot.
“When Abdullah Mason becomes mandatory against somebody, we’re going to see who’s ducking. Watch when the time comes,” said Ellis about what will happen when Mason becomes Keyshawn’s mandatory for his WBO lightweight belt.
