Keyshawn Davis feels like his time is coming.
The 2020 Olympic silver medalist
will face Jamaine Ortiz on the January 31 'Ring 6' card at Madison Square Garden in his 140-pound debut. Should Davis win, most would categorize it as a good victory. But Davis believes if he wins and stops Ortiz, his era will be upon us.
“When I knock Jamaine out on January 31, they're gonna be saying Keyshawn is the next face of boxing,” Davis said on The Last Stand with Brian Custer. “I genuinely feel like, when I knock Jamaine out, they're gonna be saying Keyshawn is the next face of boxing.”
For the most part, Davis (13-0, 9 KOs) was on a meteoric rise before the calamity that took place prior to his homecoming bout on June 7.
Davis, 26, was scheduled to defend his WBO lightweight title for the first time against Edwin De Los Santos at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. However,
Davis came in 4.3 pounds overweight, leading to the bout's cancellation. It also resulted in him being stripped of his title.
To make matters worse, Davis was
involved in a backstage altercation, along with his younger brother Keon, on the night of that card. Reports stated that both brothers attacked Nahir Albright after his decision win over Kelvin Davis, Keyshawn’s older brother.
Since then, Davis has been sequestered on the sidelines, hungry for a chance to redeem himself. Ultimately, he’ll get that opportunity on The Ring's next show at the end of the month.
Ortiz, 29, will come into their matchup with a ton of confidence thanks to a three-fight win streak, two of which came via knockout.
Davis, though, couldn’t care less. He’s completely overhauled his team and is no longer working with former Trainer of the Year Brian “Bomac” McIntyre. Those changes, from Davis’ point of view, were necessary. The former champion feels strongly that in 2026, his name will be synonymous with the rest of the boxing world’s great fighters.
“In 2026, I’ll be on that pound-for-pound list,” Davis continued. “Y’all gonna be looking at Keyshawn like he’s ready to take over the game.”