Keyshawn Davis will fight previous Ryan Garcia opponent Emmanuel Tagoe on April 8, live on Sky Sports; Davis trains with outstanding boxers Terence Crawford and Shakur Stevenson; he intends to become a world champion himself this year
Thursday 23 February 2023 11:59, UK
Keyshawn Davis, one of the best prospects in American boxing, intends to become a world champion this year.
Davis, 23, 7-0 (5), certainly has a training camp that other fighters would envy.
As part of Brian 'Bomac' MacIntyre's stable of fighters he regularly spars with pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford, while he also frequently shares the squared circle with two-weight world champion Shakur Stevenson.
However, on this occasion Davis is unable to train, snowed in at his home near the gym in Omaha, Nebraska. This was a great time for the man, nicknamed 'The Businessman', to discuss his last outing, while exclusively unveiling his next opponent on April 8.
Back in December he fought Juan Carlos Burgos, a teak-tough Mexican who had shared the ring with Devin Haney and Mikey Garcia. He had not been stopped in 45 outings.
"I came there really confident and in great shape. I obviously tried to stop him," Davis told Sky Sports.
"I believe in my power tremendously but he had a lot of tactics to survive. I know my power carries and I'm just learning to put the punches in the right position."
Although Davis did not stop Burgos, it was a one-sided beatdown with every second of every round dominated by the American.
Davis continued: "It was comfortable, I was expecting him to give me some challenges, I didn't expect to win as fashionably as I did."
Thoughts now turn to April 8 at the Prudential Center in Newark, for a fight which will be live on Sky Sports in the UK. Davis will again be on the same card as his good friend, Stevenson.
His opponent is Emmanuel Tagoe, an experienced Ghanaian who went the distance with Ryan Garcia last April. 'The Businessman' is expecting a different test from last time out.
"I'm expecting him to move a lot and jab, he seems to have decent footwork, speed and accuracy. I think I will need to use my feet more than in December; I'm going for the knockout," he said.
"Every fight since I turned pro has been a step up but it is just another fight. As every training camp passes, I'm getting bigger and stronger."
While this time last year it was a lack of professional experience that could have been levelled at Davis, that is gradually changing, and the Olympic silver medallist feels like he is continually evolving as a fighter. He went on to describe what he sees as his key qualities as a lightweight.
"My main strength is my boxing IQ. I'm also calm under pressure and when I'm in the pocket. I fight exactly the same way as I did as on my pro debut, just at a higher level, I'm getting better and better," Davis said.
"I don't see other boxers winning as comfortably as me. I don't see people as in control from round one. I see top fighters getting caught early before their opponents get tired. I'm on top from the first bell."
The confident Virginian has lofty ambitions for 2023, and feels the sparring he gets with Stevenson means he should achieve the ultimate goal by the end of the year.
"Mentally and physically sparring Shakur is different. He brings the best out of me. The conversations we have after sparring, we are just learning from each other. Things can only get better for us; for me that is going to be having a world title before the year is out," Davis added.
"I'm not bothered about how many fights I have, I will just fight whoever I need to so that I am in a position to win a world title. I'm going for the belts, it isn't about names, I want to be a world titlist and don't care about nobody else."
But for now, training is on hold due to inclement weather. Davis is not too perturbed.
"I have my dog with me, Prince, so things aren't so bad," he said. "I'll still be watching and studying boxing until this clears up. Watching how people train, watching fights. I'm learning even when I can't get to the gym."
Watch Keyshawn Davis, Jared Anderson and Shakur Stevenson live on Sky Sports in the early hours on Sunday April 9
