Keyshawn Davis , 23, is on a superstar trajectory in the sport ofboxing , his backers say.- Top Rank, the fight firm that represents Keyshawn, is happy to play a patient game to get there.
LAS VEGAS — Though 23-year-old American fighter Keyshawn Davis is happy to play a patient game to get to the top of the sport, he said he has one eye on a future mega-fight involving lightweight boxing star Gervonta "Tank" Davis.
The boxers are represented by rival promotional companies in Las Vegas. The historic fight firm Top Rank backs Davis, while Tank is the jewel in the Mayweather Promotions crown. They also compete on different broadcast platforms — ESPN for Keyshawn, and Showtime for Tank.
But speaking to reporters Monday ahead of his Saturday fight against Esteban Sanchez in the co-main event of Top Rank's big Vegas show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on ESPN, Davis said a fight with his 27-year-old namesake would be "massive" and should, therefore, happen.
"I know Gervonta is going to be at 135-pounds for a long time," Keyshawn said. "He is a star already, and I know I'll be as big a star as he is. The fight is just going to sell.
"We both come from that area, and our styles mean we'll make a great fight out of it."
Tank is one of the sport's biggest attractions as Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe has helped cultivate cross-state interest in his fighter.
The thunderous puncher is as proven a ticket-seller in his home town of Baltimore as he is in Atlanta, Los Angeles, and now New York, where he fights Rolly Romero on May 28.
Through a broadcast deal with Showtime
Those around Keyshawn expect big things from the up-and-coming fighter
Listening to those close to Keyshawn, though, we can perhaps expect the youngster to one day join Tank as a bona fide star in the fight game.
Before Keyshawn even made his Top Rank boxing debut, founder and CEO Bob Arum waved him over to shake hands with his fast-rising phenom, Keyshawn said this week.
"Man, you remind me of a young Sugar Ray Leonard," Keyshawn said Arum told him.
Ever since then, Keyshawn said he studied Leonard and considered how he spoke, how he fought, and what kinds of things he could learn from the all-time great fighter.
Top Rank followed Keyshawn throughout the fighter's journey in the amateur ranks. "We were greatly impressed with his skills," Arum told reporters this week.
Arum said Keyshawn is on a superstar trajectory, and he's keen to play it slow to get there
"We knew Keyshawn would be a superstar in the sport," Arum added. "It was the same feeling when we signed Keyshawn, as we had when we signed [junior lightweight world champion] Shakur Stevenson.
"We're going to do everything in our power to make him one of the top faces of boxing in the sport. That's our job. He's a terrific young man. He's going to do his job by preparing well for fights and performing tremendously in the ring."
Neither Top Rank nor Keyshawn are interested in taking the fast-track to the top and are instead happy to patiently plot a route there so that once they climb to the top of boxing's rankings, they stay there together forever.
"I want to build myself as a fighter and build a fanbase for myself," Keyshawn said this week. "When I get to a big world title fight, I want to already a star — or close to it.
"I don't want to move too fast as this is a long career. When you get to that peak level, it's no turning back. I want to develop my skill, my craft, and my [knowledge] of the business of boxing."
This mentality impresses Arum, who has been around countless champions and superstar boxers through his decades in the business.
The 90-year-old executive, who has promoted Muhammad Ali, Manny Pacquiao, and Floyd Mayweather, said: "I wish everyone had the philosophy of Keyshawn.
"It's one thing to go right to the top and fight for titles but you're not prepared for the rest of your career to defend titles.
"Keyshawn will move at a very intelligent pace," Arum continued. "When he fights for a title, he'll be prepared. And he'll fight for titles and win titles for many years.
"That's the goal for Keyshawn Davis. [His plan] is the best plan to have to build yourself up as a big superstar."
Finishing, Keyshawn said: "I love putting on performances, I'm an aggressive fighter, and I don't like getting hit. I'm going to knock you out, and I'm going to have fun doing it."