Keyshawn Davis Wants Andy Cruz Fight Before Move to 140
Keyshawn Davis said in March 2025 that he wanted to face amateur rival Andy Cruz before moving up from lightweight, but he did not expect the professional matchup to happen that year without a compelling reason. Davis had just won the WBO lightweight title with a fourth-round knockout of Denys Berinchyk. He described a Cruz fight as one he wanted to make, while also stressing that the financial terms needed to justify it. No purse, date, venue, or formal agreement was announced.
An amateur rivalry carries into the pros
Davis and Cruz met four times as amateurs, and Cruz won each bout. Their best-known meeting came in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic final, held in 2021, where Cruz won gold for Cuba and Davis took silver for the United States. The history made a professional fight attractive to fans, but the two boxers had not faced each other in the paid ranks when Davis discussed the matchup.
The rivalry also offered a clear sporting question: could Davis turn the tables against the opponent who had beaten him repeatedly as an amateur? Davis entered the discussion as a world champion after stopping Berinchyk on February 14, 2025. Cruz was building his own professional record with Matchroom Boxing and was moving toward contender status at lightweight. Their separate promotional teams and careers meant that interest from the fighters alone could not guarantee a bout.
Davis says timing and money matter
In an interview with The Ring published March 3, Davis said he wanted the Cruz fight before eventually moving to 140 pounds, but thought it was unlikely to happen that year unless Cruz did something exceptional and the matchup made sense. Davis also said he was a large lightweight and did not see Cruz moving up. Two days later, Davis appeared on Shawn Porter’s podcast and emphasized that he would not take the fight for a small purse.
Those comments were a statement of preference, not a report of an active negotiation. Davis did not name a minimum purse, and the parties did not announce an offer or signed contract. The Ring’s March 3 report focused on Davis’ view of the timing and weight-class question, while Boxing News 24 reported his later comments about the financial stakes.
A compelling fight, with hurdles to clear
A meeting would have paired an undefeated professional champion with a fighter who had already solved him four times in the amateur ring. The backstory gave the matchup a natural selling point, while both fighters’ standing at 135 pounds raised the possibility of a meaningful title fight. For Cruz, a win over Davis would have delivered a major victory and settled the professional rivalry. For Davis, the bout would have offered a chance to answer the amateur results.
But a recognizable storyline does not settle the details. The boxers were aligned with different promoters, and a deal would require agreement on money, timing, and any title implications. Davis’ comments left the door open while setting conditions around his schedule and compensation; they did not show that a contract was near. As of the March 2025 interviews, the matchup remained a desired possibility rather than a confirmed booking.
What happened after the Cruz callout
The Cruz matchup discussed here was never booked. Davis’ next planned defense was against Edwin De Los Santos in June 2025, but Top Rank announced the fight was canceled after Davis missed the lightweight limit by 4.3 pounds. He later moved into 140-pound bouts, stopping Jamaine Ortiz in the final round in January 2026 and following with a unanimous-decision win over Nahir Albright in May. Top Rank’s fight history and its Albright result report document that shift.
By summer 2026, Davis was in welterweight title discussions: the WBO ordered him to challenge Devin Haney, but Davis withdrew from the bout in August, according to Reuters’ report of the WBO announcement. The March 2025 comments remain useful context for his ambitions and negotiating stance, while the later record shows his path moving through a canceled lightweight defense and up two divisions without a professional meeting with Cruz.
Davis discussed his championship win and future plans on The PorterWay Podcast. The March 5 interview is embedded below.
Sources
Tags: Boxing, Combat Sports
