Trainer Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre says Keyshawn Davis and Shakur Stevenson are the two best lightweight fighters, with both 50-50 at the same level. He states that everyone thinks Gervonta Davis is the best in the 135-lb division rather than Shakur and Keyshawn because they haven’t been in the weight class as long as him.

BoMac says that Keyshawn (13-0, 9 KOs) would easily beat Tank Davis, possibly knocking him out, because he has more “tools in his toolbox” than him. He views Tank as being limited.

Fans Unconvinced 

Keyshawn turned pro in 2021 and has yet to prove himself. Shakur has moved up three divisions and has only been at lightweight since 2023. He hasn’t fought anyone talented, either.

Last Friday night, Keyshawn captured the WBO lightweight title, knocking out 36-year-old champion Denys Berinchyk in the fourth round at Madison Square Garden Theater in New York. However, fans didn’t give Keyshawn much credit because they noticed how much bigger he was inside the ring and how old, small, and weak Berinchyk looked.

The main issue fans have with Keyshawn is that they view him as a weight bully fighting several divisions below his size. He’s also picked the weakest link. In other words, Keyshawn is gaming the system to find success that he couldn’t achieve if he were competing in a weight class where he belongs, at 154 or 160.

You can’t knock Keyshawn for his hustle. If he can fight at lightweight against smaller guys and make huge dough, he should do it as long as possible. It beats moving up to middleweight and being just a regular contender his entire career.

Keyshawn looks bigger than IBF welterweight champion Jaron Ennis and WBC interim junior middleweight champ Vergil Ortiz Jr. The real question is why Keyshawn chooses to fight at 135. It’s pretty obvious when you think about it.

“In reality, it’s who Gervonta wants to fight because that’s supposedly the man at 135,” said trainer Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre to YSM Sports Media when asked if it would be weird if Keyshawn Davis got the fight against Gervonta Davis before Shakur Stevenson.

“Of course, it’s 50-50, Keyshawn and Shakur,” said BoMac when asked who is ‘The man’ at lightweight. “But everybody is putting that label on Gervonta as being the best 135-pounder. Everybody needs to fight him like he’s the boogeyman of the division.

“Shakur has moved up three weight divisions. Keyshawn is just getting here [in 2021]. So, the world is going to say, ‘He’s got to prove himself.’ Me personally, by knowing these cats, it’s 50-50 right there. They’ve got dog in them right there. I’m not saying Gervonta don’t have dog in him, but those two guys [Keyshawn and Shakur] because of the simple fact I know what they’re capable of.”

It’s not enough for BoMac to be the one who is saying that Keyshawn is tied for #1 in the lightweight division with Shakur. The fans need to say that, and they’re not. He’s not proved himself at 135 to show that he’s the #1 guy.

Berinchyk looked very old and small. The size difference between him and Keyshawn was huge last Friday. It looked like a middleweight was in the ring with an old 40-ish-looking lightweight. If Keyshawn insists on fighting outside of his natural weight class of middleweight, he needs to fight talented opponents like Andy Cruz, Ernesto Mercado, Edin De Los Santos, and Raymond Muratalla.

The “Toolbox” Debate

“He [Tank Davis] has got that one style that he never changes, and Keyshawn has got a whole toolbox behind him, him and Shakur,” said BoMac when asked why he thinks Keyshawn would ‘easily beat’ Tank Davis. “So, whatever Gervonta came to the table with, those two guys can go back in the toolbox. If that tool doesn’t work, let’s go with another one.

“If that tool don’t work, let’s go with another tool. I think Keyshawn would stop him [Gervonta] in the later rounds because of Gervonta’s style of fighting that he does. It can only carry it so far.

“I think Lomachenko would be a great fight for Keyshawn. It would be a little bit difficult because Lomachenko has a great toolbox. But I believe Keyshawn gets to him faster than Lomachenko,” said BoMac.