BOXING thrives on villains, whether it is the morally bankrupt men in blazers – pulling the strings behind the scenes – or the fighters that end up building their brand around a more pantomime-like persona.
In the case of Keyshawn Davis, he has, whether by design or pure fluke, fallen into the bracket of the latter, which can only mean that, when he eventually returns to action, the 26-year-old will come strutting into the ring as a far more valuable commodity.
Such is the nature of this imperfect world, as where there is controversy and mischief involved, a circus of financially motivated clowns is rarely too far removed.
But boxing, more specifically, is where the theatrical role of an antagonist, hell-bent on causing chaos while feeding on the boos of an audience, is perhaps most welcome.
Earlier this year, the character arc of former WBO world champion Davis encountered a drastic spike after he not only lost his title on the scales, but weighed a whopping 4.3lbs above the lightweight limit.
It was not long, then, before the American came under a heavy fire of artillery from the fans, who largely accused him of showing his opponent, Edwin De Los Santos, not even a shred of respect.
Then, after that debacle, which culminated in both fighters losing out on their opportunity, Davis took it upon himself to have a backstage skirmish with his former rival, Nahir Albright, on the night where he was supposed to be topping the bill.
Suffice to say, the entire weekend was considered a complete and utter disaster. But now, could it be said that the overall rise of Davis’ profile was well worth the aggravation, at least in the eyes of his handlers?
American boxing is, after all, yearning for a bona fide star; someone who can claw it out from the sorry state of affairs that has forced promoters to scramble around like headless chickens, desperately searching for an even remotely lucrative broadcast deal.
Once the flagship destination for big-time boxing, it is now, well, more like a breeding ground for top-level fighters, waiting to be ransacked by the powerbrokers in Saudi Arabia who, quite simply, boast far deeper pockets than their American counterparts.
To find evidence of this, look no further than the November 22 card in Riyadh. On it, you will see five fighters – David Benavidez, Brian Norman Jr, Devin Haney, Jesse Rodriguez and Abdullah Mason – who could quite easily headline an event in their home nation.
This is not an attack on the Saudi boxing regime, but rather an observation that Davis could soon emerge as an unexpected antihero of sorts, breathing a degree of life back into the American boxing scene.
Whether we like it or not, he has got the talent, and more importantly the polarising persona to go with it, that should now see him command greater interest from the fans.
It is worth noting, too, that, whether rightly or wrongly, ‘The Businessman’ has secured his position as the WBO mandatory challenger at 140lbs, putting him in line to face the winner of Shakur Stevenson and Teofimo Lopez’s expected title clash in the first quarter of 2026.
Now, with Davis being such a good friend of Stevenson’s, perhaps it is less a case of him facing the winner and more a strategic move for the Norfolk man to eventually collide with Lopez.
And of course, that is a fight which would arrive with no small amount of intrigue. Both fighters bring to the table their own, unique, level of controversy, whether it is Lopez’s unsavoury racial remarks or Davis’ unapologetic arrogance.
But regardless of whatever offence their words may cause, a build-up involving the pair would almost certainly make for an eagerly-anticipated spectacle.
In that sense, it could be said that Davis would only benefit from staying true to form, not by demonstrating a more humble attitude – because that, in many ways, would be boring – but instead by embracing his new villainous reputation.
How else would ‘The Businessman’ justify his moniker if not through sheer controversy and disruption?
