Norfolk prospect Keyshawn Davis will take his first step towards becoming a world champion on 14th February at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York by fighting WBO lightweight champion Denys Berinchyk. If he can produce a win, his next goal should be getting the undisputed status. However, WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson blocks the path.

Davis and Stevenson have been long-time friends, and have known each other for years. The pair have even refused to fight each other in the past. According to reports, Davis was in deep depression growing up and even had to be admitted to a mental health facility when he was 18. During this time, Stevenson remained at his side. 

“No, I’d never fight him,” Davis told talkSport about a potential fight between the two. “It’s definitely deeper. His mum is DMing me all the time. I’m about to spar his brother today, I know his entire family. I even know his sisters. I’ve known Shakur almost his entire life. I know his cousins. I know his whole entire family so it is not even all about Shakur.”

“At the end of the day, his family would be devastated if we fought,” Davis continued. “If we did I would have to look outside of the ring and see his brothers, his cousins, his mother, his auntie that I personally know. It would be weird, I would never fight him. I met Shakur when I was 14. He was there when I was in a mental home. He was calling me up, checking up on me.”

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“S*** he was there before I even went in there. I was telling him what I was thinking, what I was doing. He was there when you didn’t know me, he was there when no one was there.” However, there seems to be a shift in Davis’ attitude. While appearing in an interview with Fight Hub TV, Davis claimed that a fight against Stevenson could be possible given enough money.

Speaking with Davis, the reporter referenced the face-off clip with Stevenson he posted on Instagram last month and asked whether it was a joke. Davis chose to hint at some future plans, as he refused to answer at first. “If someone drops a super bag then, you know, we might do a close-door sparring session,” Davis said.

“$500 million, give me $500 million. I think everybody [will] be happy,” he revealed when asked about how much it would take for them to fight. Davis later came down to a more realistic amount, stating, “I think everybody be happy for 100 million.” However, Davis’ feelings on the fight seem shaky at best. 

Keyshawn Davis wants to unify belts after the next fight but not against Shakur Stevenson

Even though Davis told Fight Hub TV that $100 million could change his mind, he recently refused to enter the ring against Stevenson. “I would love to unify with one of the champions after I beat Berinchyk,” Davis told MillCity Boxing. “We’ll see if one of the champions wanna fight me.”

While he’s open to facing top names like Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis and Vasiliy Lomachenko, Stevenson is off the table. “Tank a champion, Berinchyk a champion, Lomachenko a champion. There’s fights out there. I would wanna unify with any of the champions after Berinchyk, other than Stevenson,” Davis added.

That said, even though Keyshawn Davis has seemingly opened the doors to a potential fight against Shakur Stevenson, his prior comments on the matter suggest that may never happen. Do you think Davis would ever fight Stevenson?