Keyshawn Davis claims he’s the “best at 135” heading into his match against Miguel Madueno this Saturday night, July 6th, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
The #3 IBF, #3 WBC, and #3 WBO ranked Keyshawn (10-0, 7 KOs) feels he’s risen to the #1 spot in the lightweight division after beating Jose Pedraza and Nahir Albright. However, many fans view Keyshawn’s ten-round fight against Albright as a draw, so he has a way to go before he’s #1 if he ever gets there.
Targeting Berinchyk for the WBO Title
The 2016 Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn is targeting WBO lightweight champion Denys Berinchyk and feels he’s an easy mark for him to pick up a sure-thing world title in 2025. It remains to be seen if Keyshawn gets that fight before he outgrows the division.
Davis expects to knockout Madueno (31-2, 28 KOs) in their ten-round fight on the undercard of Shakur Stevenson vs. Artem Harutyunyan this Saturday. Madueno is a big puncher and has never been knocked out. However, Madueno, 25, did lose a wide ten-round unanimous decision to Steve Claggett last year on November 14, 2023. The scores were 98-92, 99-91 and 99-91.
That loss takes some of the shine away from whatever Keyshawn can do against Madueno because for him to get any credit from hardcore boxing fans who follow the sport, he will need to obliterate him.
Keyshawn Predicts Knockout Against Madueno
“I’m 10-0 and getting better and better, stopping former world champions [35-year-old Jose Pedraza, with a 0-2-1 record in three previous fights]. I’m the best at 135, and I’m here to prove it,” said Keyshawn Davis to Fighthype, saying he’s the #1 lightweight in the division.
Keyshawn isn’t serious when he says he’s #1 in the lightweight division because his performance against Nahir Albright showed a fighter with many flaws in his game who hasn’t improved since his loss to Andy Cruz in the Olympic finals in 2020.
Davis is a lightweight talent rated in the bottom 10 behind Gervonta Davis, Vasily Lomachenko, William Zepeda, Andy Cruz, Raymond Muratalla, and Floyd Scholfield.
“I feel I can stop everybody. I’ve been saying that since my debut. So, this guy is no different. He’s never been stopped before, and that’s going to make the story even better when I do stop him,” said Keyshawn about his opponent, Miguel Madueno, this Saturday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Keyshawn’s Size and Power Advantage
Keyshawn does have the size and power to knock out anybody at lightweight, but so do many other fighters in the division. It’ll end badly if you get hit enough times or in the right place by the top-tier guys in the 135-lb division. That also includes Keyshawn’s opponent on Saturday, Madueno. He can punch as well.
“My opponent [Madueno] is like a firecracker-type fighter. He’s got the type of personality if you antagonize, he’s going to push back. So, I’m going to do a lot of antagonizing. This Saturday, I feel it’s going to be a real physical fight, and the tough man is going to win this fight,” said Keyhawn about his ten-round contest against the recently beaten Miguel Madueno this Saturday night on ESPN.
“Whenever Top Rank puts me in a title shot, but I think it’s going to be next year. It’s going to be the top of next year. We’re going for the WBO right now [against Denys Berinchyk], and I think it’s mine for the taking right now. A defense, for sure. I don’t see a champion coming to my hometown [Norfolk, Virginia]. That don’t make sense. A defense, for sure.”
We’ll see if Keyshawn gets his title shot against Berinchyk next year. If not, he needs to consider moving up to 140 because it’s not worth it to stay at 135 and be stuck fighting no-name opposition. Even the Berinchyk fight won’t do anything for Keyshawn’s career, and he might lose that fight. Berinchyk has better skills than Keyshawn, but what he doesn’t possess is the youth, power, and massive 140+ lb size that he possesses.
Keyshawn looks like a welterweight when he rehydrates for his fights at lightweight, and it’s evident that the guy is getting over by fighting in a division below his frame. As long as there are no 10-lb rehydration limits, Keyshawn can continue to fight in the lightweight division, but again, it might not be worth it.
Gervonta Davis won’t fight him, and Keyshawn has already ruled out fighting his friend, WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson. Berinchyk isn’t popular, so there’s no upside to battling him for his WBO belt.
“We’ll see how hard he [Madueno] punches. We’ll get in there and determine that. I don’t think he punches that hard. It just looks hard. He loads up on every shot. Of course, you’re going to feel some sort of power. I don’t think he’s a power puncher, but we’ll see,” said Keyshawn.
