The lightweight division is experiencing a tectonic shift. With the total destruction of Gustavo Lemos, Keyshawn Davis has shaken it to the core. In front of a capacity crowd who assembled at the Scope Arena to see their hometown star scale yet another boxing height, ‘The Businessman’ knocked down the Argentine fighter three times to clinch the deal. For a young contender aiming to follow in the footsteps of the great Pernell Whittaker, who brought Norfolk into the boxing spotlight, the sky is the limit.

There’s an obvious curiosity about his next outing. At the other end, Gervonta Davis returned in June and defended his title against Frank Martin. There are reports of a face-off against Lamont Roach Jr. Thus, 135 pounds seems to be going through an overhaul. The way things stand, many might deem a matchup against Gervonta Davis audacious. However, Keyshawn Davis seems open to fighting other titleholders as well. For the Tokyo Olympic silver medalist, the board eagerly awaits his next move. But he has to take care. It shouldn’t be a rash decision, or his dream may remain just that—a dream.

Through the alley of the numero unos

Let’s begin with the champions—keeping the best for the last. If Keyshawn Davis is targeting an undisputed title in the future, then he might face a peculiar challenge. He would cross paths with Shakur Stevenson. The WBC champion is a close friend; hence, stepping into the ring for a dance might be a tall order.

In an interview, Keyshawn Davis made it clear, “I will fight anybody but Shakur, like, for real. I will fight anybody but Shakur.”

Vasyl Lomachenko

So that will leave Vasyl Lomachenko, Denis Berinchyk, and Gervonta Davis. Considering that ‘Loma’ is expected to return by 2025 for a title defense, a matchup could surface. However, there’s a catch. The Ukrainian champion, who appears to be walking towards the end of his career, might resume the talks with Gervonta Davis. The pair had a fight in hand, but it caved in as ‘Loma’ decided to pull out for a break.

Keyshawn Davis, nevertheless, appears unfazed. As much as he appreciates a fight against Vasyl Lomachenko, he understands that the Olympic gold medalist might want to retire after fighting ‘Tank’.

Denys Berinchyk

Before we jump over to the momentous clash against Gervonta Davis, there’s Denys Berinchyk to be considered. The Ukrainian defeated the much-fancied Emanuel Navarrete on May 18 and became a world title holder for the first time. Keyshawn Davis congratulated him and sought a fight contract.

Post-Lemos fight, Keyshawn Davis included Berinchyk’s name in his callouts. Given he aims for a title shot next year, it’s one of the fights that has a high chance of making it through.

Gervonta Davis

Now that leaves the most anticipated option. A fight against the face of boxing: Gervonta Davis. After the Lemos match, Keyshawn Davis simply said, “Hey Gervonta—knock, knock.” There have been reports of the two exchanging words over social media. Several reports suggest that the Roach Jr. fight has been postponed to January. However, ‘Tank’ Davis is expected to defend his title from Lamont Roach Jr. It’s still too early to say whether he would go back to Lomachenko.

But despite the developments, would Gervonta Davis entertain a fight against Keyshawn Davis? It will be a thrilling encounter. During an interview, Robert Meriwether, who has sparred against both the Davises, reasoned that technically Keyshawn Davis might come out better than Frank Martin or Isaac Cruz.

But the fact remains that the fight at Norfolk was the first main event for ‘The Businessman’. So will ‘Tank’ fight an upcoming star who is yet to find his footing in the big league? Then there’s the obvious size difference between the two. Hence, for a superstar like Gervonta Davis, fighting ‘The Businessman’ at this juncture could appear unreasonable.

The divisional competition

Though he doesn’t feature in the top 15 ranking of the WBA list, where ‘Tank Davis rules, the Norfolk-born fighter stands in the third position in the WBO, IBF, and WBC roster. Among the top contenders, the most prominent name—and one who could present a formidable challenge to Keyshawn Davis—is William Zepeda. Incidentally, back in June, in the leadup to his fight against Miguel Madueno, reports suggested that Davis had called out the lightweight division’s boogeyman.

But nothing really came out of it. The rumors barely crossed into reality. There’s another name, but that might be a bit touchy for Keyshawn Davis. It is Andy Cruz. The rivalry with the Cuban boxer dates back to their amateur days. Cruz reportedly handed four defeats to Davis, including the one that crashed his dreams of the Olympic gold. Cruz’s promoter Eddie Hearn had expressed an interest in a matchup with Davis, but like the case with Zepeda, the proposition never took off.

Things might change in the future. Last December, Keyshawn Davis tweeted that a Las Vegas matchup against another divisional rival, Floyd Schofield, could make for a ‘legendary’ showdown. But given his recent performance against René Giron, many would question whether a clash at this juncture would make any sense for either of the fighters.

Per his latest admission, Keyshawn Davis specified that contracts had been shared with ‘Kid Austin’ and Andy Cruz’s team. Ever since he had been awaiting a suitable reply from their corner.

A title eliminator against Raymond Muratalla is another possibility. But his trainer, Robert Garcia, expressed optimism that Muratalla and Keyshawn Davis might face each other as champions rather than challengers.

Who in your view fits the bill as Keyshawn Davis’ next opponent?