Keyshawn Davis knocked at Gervonta Davis‘s door, “Hey, Gervonta, knock, knock!” But instead of the champion, Kenny Ellis opened the door. Thanks to his oblique take on the situation and recent developments, ‘Tank’s longtime trainer has garnered a significant Instagram following. In the latest, Keyshawn Davis’ open call out to his star pupil saw Ellis resorting to some plain speech.

Delivering one of his best performances, Keyshawn Davis wrecked Gustavo Lemos, who entered the ring as a light middleweight. What makes the feat so remarkable is that Keyshawn Davis did it in front of hometown fans at the Scope Arena in Norfolk. The emphatic victory has pushed him closer to his world championship dreams. Needless to say, ‘Tank’ remains the foremost target in his crosshairs. But many feel ‘The Businessman’ may still not be ready to face a boxer of Gervonta Davis’s caliber. He should first clear a few unsettled dues before calling out the face of boxing, felt Kenny Ellis.

‘Don’t reach for the stars before clearing the clouds’

The veteran trainer, who pairs with Calvin Ford at Baltimore’s Upton Boxing Center, used a slew of Instagram slides to drive his point. In the first one, Ellis took Keyshawn Davis back to the days when nemesis Andry Cruz stopped him on four occasions. The Cuban fighter spoiled ‘The Businessman’s plans at the Pan American and World Championships.

However, the most severe blow was denying Davis the much-coveted Olympic gold. So Kenny Ellis mentioned how, despite having participated in only five professional fights (actually, it’s four), Cruz has managed to reach the top rankings of almost all the major sanctioning bodies.

Perhaps Keyshawn Shawn might be discouraging any narrative about a face-off against Andy Cruz, Kenny Ellis reasoned in the second slide. Even if he ends up losing a fight to Gervonta Davis, Keyshawn will walk away with a handsome guaranteed purse. That’s why Andy Cruz could mess up his plans. A fifth defeat to the Cuban will ruin the chances of a matchup against ‘Tank’ Davis.

“The casual fans don’t know what’s really going on; I hope the people of Norfolk, VA, aren’t falling for the trickery. I’m sure the real men of Norfolk want Keshawn to get that smoke back,” Kenny Ellis stated.

Ellis recalled the classic case of legend Mark Breland. The Los Angeles Olympic gold medalist suffered his lone amateur defeat to Darryl Anthony in 1981. However, a few years later, during a professional bout, Breland turned the tables on Anthony, defeating him via third-round technical knockout. “Because that’s what fighters do,” exhorted Kenny Ellis, tossing a subtle barb at ‘The Businessman’.

‘The Businessman’s Takeaway

In an interview, Keyshawn Davis made it clear that he was aiming for a world title in 2025. With the exception of close friend Shakur Stevenson, he expressed a willingness to fight anyone. Explaining his stand on the Andy Cruz question, he said, “The ball is in their court; we’re waiting on them; we already sent them a contract; we already said Kid Austin the contract.”

According to Keyshawn Davis, he had been trying to get a matchup since the time he used to fight as the co-main event. The Lemos fight was his first headliner. However, even now he’s ready for a fight. But given the stage where he stands now, Davis sounded skeptical about what Andy Cruz would bring to the table. “What he 3-0, 4-0? Like he’s not ready yet. He doesn’t even have a fan base. His entire fan base is built around me.”

According to ‘The Businessman’, he is ready to fight Cruz; however, the Cuban fighter’s promoters don’t seem inclined.

What do you think? Should Keyshawn Davis first take on Andy Cruz and shut down all the critics first before staking a claim at a world title?