Keyshawn Davis celebrates the sixth-round pick of former two-rounder Jose Pedraza on Feb. 8 in Las Vegas. Photo credit: Mikey Williams, Top Rank.
Keyshawn Davis will go home with his first headline act.
A ring confirmed that serious plans are in place for Davis to lift the Nov. show. 8 on the ESPN platform. The event will be held at the Scope Arena in Davis' hometown of Norfolk, Virginia.
Davis told X that Gustavo Lemos is a possible opponent, confirming a report from ESPN.com's Mike Coppinger.
“Coming home or not, I'm giving the fans great fights,” Davis wrote. “I stand by that!”
Homecoming or NOT, I'm giving the fans some great fights I Stand On That! #davisVSlemos
— Keyshawn Davis (@KeyshawnDavis8) August 23, 2024
The lightweight bout will mark the third ring appearance of the year for Davis (11-0, 7 knockouts), a 2020 Olympic silver medalist. It also represents his first pro fight in Virginia, where he was born and raised.
Top Rank hopes to start a new culture in Davis, similar to what the late, Hall of Fame star Pernell Whitaker was able to bring to the city.
Whitaker played the Scope Arena ten times, including an August 1989 revenge victory over Jose Luis Ramirez to avenge his controversial first loss. His last fight was a rematch against James 'Buddy' McGirt to defend his lineal and WBC welterweight title on Oct. 1994.
Hall of Fame former Ring/lineal heavyweight champion Larry Holmes had the final fight of his illustrious career at the Scope Arena. It came in a July 2002 decision win over Eric 'Butterbean' Esch.
Davis was dominant in a ten-round, unanimous decision over Miguel Madueno (31-3, 28 KOs) on July 6 in Newark, New Jersey. Ring's No. 7-rated lightweight was used in support of longtime friend and three-division titleholder Shakur Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs).
Five months ago, he beat Jose Pedraza (29-6-1, 14 KOs) by knockout. That beating came on Top Rank's pre-Super Bowl card in Las Vegas.
'The businessman' is now the front runner as he races towards the lightweight title.
He will endure his toughest test so far, at least on paper.
Argentina's Lemos (29-1, 19 KOs) was unlucky with his lone loss in his latest fight.
The 28-year-old Argentine handed Brooklyn's Richardson Hitchins a unanimous decision in their April 6 DAZN co-main event in Las Vegas. Most of the viewers and those in attendance felt that Lemos deserved to win the IBF 140-pound title.
Lemos will fight stateside for the second time in a row. His proposed bout against Davis would mark a return to lightweight, assuming he can safely make the weight.
That was not the case in the planned stay-at-home battle that went awry last summer. Lemos—who was a mandatory in the IBF lightweight at the time—was supposed to face the local Javier Jose Clavero last August 18 but he lost eight kilograms. The commission asked to measure the same day's weight up to 140 kilograms. However, Lemos also missed that mark.
The fall caused a ripple effect. Lemos lost his No. 1 at lightweight at the worst time. All the belts were up for grabs when Devin Haney took away his RING and the undisputed throne.
Lemos was initially named as the mandatory challenger after his March 2022 final win over Wales' Lee Selby.
The Ring read about three potential undercard slots at the show.
One glaring hole is reserved for Troy Isley (13-0, 5 KOs), Davis' stablemate and teammate at the Tokyo Olympics. Isley is originally from Alexandria, about three hours from Norfolk.
Two sources with knowledge of the situation told The Ring that Isley could face Tyler Howard (20-1, 11 KOs).
Less certain but important to the telecast, WBO welterweight title shot Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) is in line for a co-feature spot.
Norman is currently in talks—at least on social media—for a welterweight unification fight against IBF-ranked Jaron 'Boots' Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs). More appears as shipping, though Ennis needs a better option than his current business. Ring's No. 1-rated welterweight has been ordered to face mandatory challenger Karen Chukhadzhian in a rematch of her knockout win on Jan. 2023.
It might work out for Norman, though it would require an offer that likely has fair market value to secure a fight. Ring's No. 5-rated welterweight was recently promoted to full WBO title holder. He won the interim belt in the tenth round on May 18 from Giovani Santillan.
Norman's potential opponents have not been made available in The Ring as of press time.
The program is also rumored to feature top lightweight prospect Abdullah Mason (15-0, 13 KOs). It will be the fifth ring of the 2024 Prospect of the Year run for the 20-year-old southpaw. All four of his fights this year have ended in four rounds.
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