Promoter Eddie Hearn wants to discover whether Keyshawn Davis is really interested in fighting Andy Cruz next. Hearn says the lightweight contender Keyshawn Tweeted him, expressing interest in facing the 2020 Cuban Olympic gold medalist next if he’s victorious over Bryan Zamarripa this Saturday night.
However, Hearn isn’t sure Keyshawn (10-0, 7 KOs) is still interested in the fight, and he suspects Top Rank told him to delete the Tweet.
Cruz easily defeated Keyshawn four times in the amateurs, shutting him out and showing that his technical skills were on another level, light years ahead of his.
Hearn said that Cruz fighting Keyshawn would be like “Taking candy from a baby.” He would never beat Andy, no matter how many times they fought.
The Deleted Tweet Mystery
“He deleted his Tweet. He Tweeted me and said, ‘Keep your word and make sure you make an offer after the fight on Saturday.’ I replied and said, ‘Yes,’ because I was so excited, and then 15 minutes later, he deleted his Tweet,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to Fighthype, talking about Keyshawn Davis contacting him on social media, responding to him saying that he would make him an offer for a fight against Andy Cruz if the 2020 Cuban Olympic gold medalist wins his fight on Saturday night against Bryan Zamarripa.
It’s not difficult to imagine that Keyshawn had second thoughts immediately after sending the Tweet to Hearn, thinking, ‘What am I getting myself into? Cruz could wreck my career. How do I get out of this mess? I know I’ll delete the Tweet, and problem solved.’ Not really. Now that Hearn blabbed about the Tweet, the whole world knows about it, and Keyshawn is being shown in an unfavorable light, ducking the Cruz fight to avoid a loss.
Hearn’s Challenge: “Confirm if You Want the Offer”
“So, you got told off. Do you want the fight or not want the fight?” Hearn continued about his interest in making an offer to Keyshawn to face Andy Cruz next. “Were you told by Top Rank to take your Tweet down? Have you lost your [nerve]? I want you, Keyshawn Davis, to confirm if you want me to make you an offer or not because you asked me to make you an offer, and then you deleted the Tweet. Which one is it?”
It’s safe to say that Keyshawn won’t be contacting Hearn about a fight with Cruz anytime soon. Deleting the Tweet is a crystal clear message that Keyshawn doesn’t want any part of Andy Cruz, and it’s understandable.
If Cruz works Keyshawn over and stops him in Jaron Ennis style, will Top Rank want to keep him around? Probably not. They would likely jettison Keyshawn, throwing him overboard like a piece of driftwood, and who knows where he would end up.
He was already exposed by Nahir Albright, resulting in Top Rank slowing his career momentum by matching him against the old veteran Jose Pedraza. If they had put Keyshawn in with one of the killers like Raymond Muratalla, Edwin De Los Santos, or Abdullah Mason, it would be game over.
You hate to say it, but Top Rank is just delaying the inevitable by choosing to baby Keyshawn rather than throwing him to the sharks. They will be forced to toss Keyshawn at some point if he can’t hang with talented fighters at 135, like Cruz, Muratalla, Mason, Vasily Lomachenko, and Shakur Stevenson.
They can’t keep Keyshawn behind the front lines, focusing on R & R, while the frontline soldiers risk their hides. Bob Arum needs to take a good hard look at Keyshawn and decide if he’s fit for battle or not. If he can’t face Cruz, where does he go? He already failed against second-tier fighter Albright, and Arum can’t keep matching him against old vets like Pedraza to artificially keep his career above the water line.
Hearn’s Prediction: “He Will Never Fight Andy Cruz”
“He will never fight Andy Cruz, especially in the next year or so. He will want to do it because he couldn’t beat him in the amateurs. In his head, he’s getting really agitated, but Top Rank has every smart boxing people. Keyshaw, just confirm to me that you’re happy for me to make you an offer. Don’t delete the Tweet this time, and I will make you an offer if Andy Cruz wins tomorrow night,” said Hearn.
