BOXRAW Sleeper of the Week: Keyshawn Davis
Taking chances is a huge part of any sport; particularly in boxing. Some opportunities may seem daunting at first but they don’t come around often and must be grasped quickly.
That’s the situation that rising American talent Keyshawn Davis recently found himself in; during the midst of the ongoing global restrictions that have caused havoc to both the amateur and professional boxing schedule since the virus outbreak.
A hugely successful amateur career had been building up towards the latest Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan; where Davis was widely tipped to go on and clinch a medal for Team USA.
The Games had been postponed from last year until this coming summer due to the global pandemic but doubts are still being cast over the event’s start date or if it will go ahead at all.
With that in mind and, despite having dreamt of fighting at the Olympics since the age of seven, Davis has made the decision to switch over to the paid ranks.
Rather than waste any more time waiting on an event that might never come to fruition, the 21-year-old prospect has instead opted to develop his talents as a professional and get paid to do so.
The opportunity to shine on the biggest stage of them all was too hard to resist; with the Norfolk-born talent set to make his debut on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez’s latest high-profile ring appearance this weekend.
Holding the chance to shine on a show headlined by the biggest name in boxing is as big as it gets with regards to first stepping into the pro ranks.
Before turning over, Davis was widely seen as one of the best amateur boxers in the world and was a leading contender for a podium position at the upcoming Olympics.
He is now one of the brightest prospects to come out of America and will look to showcase the skills that saw him earn amateur honours such as the 2017 Golden Gloves and a 2019 World Championships Silver medal.
While the spotlight will be on Canelo as he defends his unified super-middleweight titles against mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim, Davis will be aiming to capture some of the attention earlier on during fight night in Florida.
When the dust has settled on his debut clash against Lester Brown, Davis will be celebrating his 22nd birthday the following day - hopefully looking back on what will likely have been a strong start to life as a professional fighter.
Header image: US Boxing