Lightweight champion Keyshawn Davis predicts his fight with Miguel Madueño will be “action-packed” in their ten-round bout on Saturday night, July 6, at the Prudential Center in New Jersey.
Davis (10-0, KOs), coming off a sixth-round knockout of 35-year-old veteran Jose Pedraza earlier this year on February 8 at the Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, is looking to make a statement against Madeño (31-2, 28 KOs). .
Davis' ladder?
Keyshawn vs. Madueño will be fighting on the undercard of Shakur Stevenson vs. Artem Harutyunyan. The event will air live on ESPN at 8:30 pm ET/5:30 pm PT.
Madeño lost a ten-round broad decision to Steve Claggett on November 14, 2023, in Montreal, Canada. The fight was not close, as Claggett won almost every round.
That gives one an indication of what Saturday's fight between Keyshawn and Madeño is all about. It's another fight to build Keyshawn's caliber, but it won't prepare him to knock off the 135 champions, Shakur, Gervonta Davis, Vasily Lomachenko or Denys Berinchyk.
Keyshawn looks like a full 140-pounder, and it's not clear why he chose to stay at 135 because he's big in this division. He's friends with Shakur, so he'll probably never fight him, and he might never get a chance to face Tank Davis or Lomachenko. That's a bad match for Keyshawn. Lomachenko will retire without a fight against Keyshawn, and Tank could move up to 140 in two or three fights.
Andy Cruz is ranked at the top of the 135-pound rankings, and Keyshawn already has four losses against him in the rookie ranks. Whatever title Keyshawn may hope to take at lightweight, he won't be able to hold on to it for long if Cruz becomes a force to be reckoned with.
Top Rank obviously knows Keyshawn's limitations, so they will hold off the Andy Cruz fight for as long as possible to prevent the inevitable from happening.
Berinchyk is the only one Keyshawn has a chance to beat, but that's a tough fight for him, and he can lose that, too. If Top Rank waits for the 36-year-old Berinchyk until he's too old, Keyshawn might be able to beat him, but not now.
“I always knew I would be in this position. So it's not a big deal for me,” said Keyshawn Davis on Top Rank Boxing talking about being a lightweight contender, but he hasn't beaten anyone yet.
Keyshawn doesn't say what he means by being “in this position.” As far as I know, Keyshawn is one of the top contenders, and is ranked just below #1 William Zepeda and #2 Raymond Muratalla. He's not going to beat those guys, and it would be a bad idea for Top Rank to put Keyshawn on them.
“I knew I was a talented kid, and I knew I was a talented young person. Right now, I'm working to become a world champion. “I don't care about being a rising star,” Keyshawn said.
Keyshawn has a lot of work to do to catch up to these talented fighters: Abdullah Mason, Andy Cruz, William Zepeda, Muratalla, and Scholfield. Keyshawn is a good fighter, but his main asset at 135 is his big size.
He is a 140+ pounder who fights below his weight class. In other words, Keyshawn is a heavyweight, and that helps, but he can't make a career out of it unless he wants to kill himself, which makes the heavyweight of the next decade.
Nahir Albright already exposed Keyshawn last October; I think that's the reason why Top Rank stunted his growth by pulling him back to face Pedraza rather than pairing him with one of these contenders: Andy Cruz, Muratalla, William Zepeda, or Floyd Schofield.
They know what they got from Keyshawn, and they shouldn't waste him by putting him in a fight he can't win. Once again, Keyshawn should go after WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez because he is showing signs of decline. Keyshawn will have a good chance of beating Teofimo if his chin holds up.
Madueño's power
“He's a very aggressive fighter, and he doesn't get tired,” said Keyshawn about his opponent Miguel Madueño, who will face him in less than ten rounds this Saturday night at the Prudential Center in Newark.
Madeño, 25, has enough power to take out Keyshawn if he can connect with something big. Albright is hurt by Keyshawn, and he's nowhere near the puncher Madueño is.
“I can hit him with a good shot, and I can still see him trying to get hit and pull his gun out. I think this fight will be a real fight. I'm about to finish it,” said Keyshawn.
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