Keyshawn Davis said his long-time amateur rival Andy Cruz is not yet ready to battle him in the pro game.
The lightweight fighters competed multiple times against one another as amateurs, however, the results were one-sided as Cruz defeated Davis four times. Their most famous encounter was in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo when they met in the high-stakes gold medal match which the Cuban won by a 4-1 score at the iconic Ryogoku Sumo Hall in Japan.
Though elite competitors at a similar stage in their careers as amateurs, Davis is far more experienced as a pro as he enters, on Friday, the 12th fight of his career against Gustavo Lemos atop a Top Rank card on ESPN+.
Cruz, by contrast, has four wins since turning over in 2023, recently signed with Matchroom, and added renowned manager Peter Kahn to his team, too.
Though Cruz debuted in a 10-rounder against Juan Carlos Burgos, and has gone on to extend an unbeaten start to his pro career, Davis is not yet impressed by what Cruz is accomplishing in the paid ranks.
“I watched his pro debut but I haven’t watched a fight of his after that, honestly,” Davis told World Boxing News recently.
Davis fights Gustavo Lemnos atop a Top Rank card on ESPN+ on Friday, November 8 at his hometown venue of Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.
Victory over Lemos will set Davis up for increasingly challenging fights in 2025, with the fighter even telling us that he’s already ready for challenges from the likes of Emanuel Navarrete, Vasiliy Lomchenko, or Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis.
He doubts, though, that someone like Cruz will be in the opposite corner from him any time soon.
Here’s why: “I’ve seen highlights, here or there. Am I impressed? Not really. He can fight, though. He can fight. But it’s not a performance. It’s not entertaining.
“I already reached out to his people to see if he wanted to fight me. His people said no, they’re not ready. They don’t want to make that fight right now. I understand.”
That’s not to say the fight can’t happen, though. For Davis, he’ll seemingly take it whenever, wherever. The ball is in Cruz, and Matchroom’s court.
“When he’s ready to make that fight happen, it’s on them.”
