Lightweight contender Keyshawn ‘The Businessman’ Davis 10-0 (7) has warned WBO and Ring Magazine junior welterweight Teofimo ‘The Takeover’ Lopez 20-1 (13) to be ready because he’s coming for him.
The talented 24-year-old from Norfolk, Virginia promised to make short work of former WBO 135-pound titleholder Jose ‘Sniper’ Pedraza 29-6-1 (14) at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Thursday night and he did just that.
Davis battered the 34-year-old Puerto Rican veteran around the ring for five rounds before halting him at 1:09 of the sixth.
The victory took place on the undercard of the world title defence of Brooklyn’s Lopez, 26, against Jamaine ‘The Technician’ Ortiz 17-2-1 (8). Lopez won the bout by unanimous decision with scores of 115-113, 115-113 and 117-111, but it was a slow-paced affair that drew boos from the crowd during and after the bout.
By contract, Davis was at his explosive best against Pedraza, who had been stopped just once previously by big-punching southpaw Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis 29-0 (27) in the seventh round seven years ago.
“Throughout this whole training camp, I’ve been saying that I’m the best at 135,” said Olympic silver medalist Davis.
“Everyone kept saying, ‘you’ve got to get the stoppage, you’ve got to get the knockout’. But I told everyone to not worry about it and just watch me work. And that’s exactly what happened. I got the stoppage.”
Davis called out Lopez immediately after his win, saying he was more than ready to stack on an extra five pounds to meet the champion in his natural weight class.
“Teofimo has been doing a lot of talking lately,” Davis said. “I’ll go up to 140 and fight Teofimo. What’s up? Get this win tonight. You already know how I’m coming. You and your father. So, let’s set it up.
“I’ll come straight to 140. Let’s go! And if you’re scared, Teofimo, then [three-weight world champion Emanuel] Navarrete. He is a hell of a fighter. It would be an honor to get in the ring with you after you capture the WBO title. So let’s do it.”
Lopez did go on to defeat Ortiz, but it wasn’t pretty. The 27-year-old challenger boxed and moved, boxed and moved, while Lopez spent much of the fight following him around the ring. There was little leather thrown and even less landed.
According to CompuBox, Lopez and Ortiz combined to land a total of just 158 punches throughout the 12-round contest. Davis and Pedraza landed 185 blows between them in under six rounds, with 139 of them attributed to Davis.
Lopez blew off talk of a Davis fight after his win.
“We’re talking about a lightweight over here. He hasn’t done anything,” Lopez said.
“Just like Vasiliy Lomachenko told me, if you want to fight me, you got to get a title. Get a world title. If you want to fight the king, go ahead, and get the world title.
“I’m not going to give it to you guys… for what? You guys want it easy! Everybody wants it easy!”
