ACROSS the entirety of boxing, the rivalry between Andy Cruz and Keyshawn Davis is amongst the fiercest. Now, Cruz has reacted to the controversy surrounding Davis and admitted that he is ‘disappointed’ in the fighter whom he refers to as his ‘son’.
Davis, 13-0 (9 KOs), was trumped by Cruz, 5-0 (2 KOs), in the finals of the 2019 Pan American Games, 2019 World Championships and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games as an amateur, with the trifecta of silver medals encouraging a switch to the professional ranks for the American.
Since then, Davis has risen up the lightweight rankings and established himself as an elite-level contender, capturing the WBO lightweight title with a statement stoppage of Denys Berinchyk last time out. Cruz, meanwhile, turned pro over two years later and has now emerged as a title threat himself.
As a result, Davis and Cruz have been continuously linked to a continuation of their rivalry, where Cruz is currently up 4-0. Still, it seems as though that clash will be made to wait, after Davis’ unsavoury antics at the weekend caused a move up in weight.
Ahead of an attempted first title defence in his hometown of Norfolk, Davis missed weight by an astonishing 4.2lbs and seemed unbothered by the news, despite losing his world title and the consequent cancellation of his main-event showdown with Edwin De Los Santos.
Instead, Abdullah Mason headlined the Norfolk card in front of Davis’ fans and stole the show. Kelvin Davis, brother of Keyshawn, went ahead with his undercard fight with Nahir Albright, a former Keyshawn Davis opponent.
Albright proceeded to pull off the upset to add to Davis’ nightmare homecoming, before reportedly being jumped and assaulted by Keyshawn and Keon Davis backstage.
Speaking to Matchroom Boxing, Andy Cruz declared that his foe, whom he consistently labels as his ‘son’, has been ‘disrespectful to boxing’.
“As a father, I feel disappointed in my son, because those are not the values [that] I showed him. More than anything it was disrespectful to boxing and to his own fans. Who were looking forward to seeing him that night.
“An athlete, regardless of the sport, has to be professional. A boxer must be professional inside and outside of the ring and what he did wasn’t to my liking.
“And then, the altercation after the fight comes from being a bad loser. You win and lose and you need to know how to win and lose.”
Ironically nicknamed ‘The Businessman’, Keyshawn Davis faces a tough pitch if he is to win back his fans, but a new chapter in the super-lightweight division will present him with the opportunity to excel at a new weight and encourage his supporters to forgive and forget his recent behaviour.
Meanwhile, Cruz finds himself just one fight away from a shot at the IBF lightweight world title, as he gears up for a final eliminator against Japan’s Hironori Mishiro on Saturday night.
