David Benavidez has no shortage of HUGE fights on his radar. In an exclusive interview with BoxingScene, Jose Benavidez Sr. makes it clear that David still wants the biggest names at 175lbs including Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev. Benavidez has previously said those are two fights he wants to make as he pursues more titles and major challenges. But there’s another name that could make things very interesting: Andy Ruiz Jr. Jose discusses the possibility of an all-Mexican showdown between Benavidez and the former heavyweight champion, along with David’s plans across multiple divisions. And with a potential Jai Opetaia showdown also building after the pair came face-to-face following Opetaia’s latest victory, Benavidez has some massive options ahead.
Keyshawn Davis expects to see a few new looks but not necessarily a stiffer challenge in his next outing.
The 2020 Olympic silver medalist for the U.S. and fast-rising lightweight is supremely confident of advancing to a perfect 10-0 ahead of his scheduled ten-round clash versus Philadelphia’s Nahir Albright. Their bout is the co-feature to the Janibek Alimkhanuly-Vincenzo Gualtieri WBO/IBF middleweight unification bout atop an ESPN-televised show this Saturday from Fort Bend Epicenter in Rosenberg, Texas.
“It’s just another fight to me. Don’t matter where he’s at, who he just beat,” Davis told BoxingScene.com of his latest opponent. “People are gonna have something to say, regardless. I don’t get caught up in what people have to say. I just focus on what I need to do. Just to get better.
“At the end of the day, this is just another step to become world champion.”
Davis (9-0, 6KOs) enters the ring on the heels of three straight wins over former title challengers and veteran contenders, including Juan Carlos Burgos and Anthony Yigit in his seventh and eighth fights, respectively. It’s understandable why the 24-year-old Virginia native has all but guaranteed a victory this weekend.
Albright (16-2, 7KOs) has won two in a row since a ten-round defeat to Jamaine Ortiz last February and typically otherwise rises to the occasion. He blasted out Michael Dutchover on a September 2021 Triller Fight Club card, though not before his best win to date. Albright edged 2016 U.S. Olympian and fringe lightweight contender Karlos Balderas on a July 28 ESPN+ undercard from The Palms In Las Vegas.
Neither that win, or any other left Davis—a 24-year-old southpaw from Norfolk, Virginia—with the impression that he hasn’t already experienced what he will encounter this weekend.
“I just take this as another fight, honestly,” said Davis, who is coming off a ten-round points win over Francesco Patera on July 22 in Shawnee, Oklahoma. “As I do my research on this guy, on my opponent, I just feel like I’ve faced better competition than him. He’s coming with different abilities but it’s just not anything I haven’t seen before.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
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