As one of the most competitive weight classes right now, even former boxing champions have eyes on the upcoming title bouts in the lightweight division. Earlier claims suggested that the negotiations for the purse were the reason for the upcoming Keyshawn Davis vs. Edwin De Los Santos fight falling through. But once the issue was sorted, the challenger quickly agreed to fight the WBO lightweight champion in his first-ever title defense.

According to reports, the match is set for June 7th in the 26-year-old’s hometown of Norfolk, Virginia. While De Los Santos hasn’t fought once in over 18 months, his punching power and reputation as a tough fighter make it an interesting showdown. This became evident when he last fought Shakur Stevenson in November 2023. Keyshawn Davis taking the fight at such an early stage of his career is especially commendable when other champions in the division often avoid challenging contenders that are deemed high-risk and low-reward fighters, keeping wanted fights elusive and accepting only well-calculated risks. This is precisely what Paulie Malignaggi (a former two-division world champion) and Chris Algieri (a former junior welterweight champion) think is happening in the division right now. In an interview with Fight Hype, the former champs expressed their respect for Keyshawn Davis’s opponent choices, while simultaneously calling out the WBA lightweight champion, Gervonta Davis.

“I love the fact that Keyshawn’s a dog and he’s going after the dangerous guys in the division. De Los Santos is a guy that gives everybody trouble. He’s a very, very dangerous counter-puncher and Keyshawn wants all the smoke. And he’s doing exactly what a champion should do. He’s going for the guys that people don’t want to fight. I respect the guys who do that. He fights those guys that are high-risk, low-reward. It’s a dangerous fight,” said Algieri, referring to the fact that while The Businessman may have an upper edge, De Los Santos’s hard-hitting southpaw stance makes it a tough battle to watch out for.

Adding his voice to the matchup, Malignaggi highlighted the stakes of the fight. Malignaggi explained, “De Los Santos, if he loses two in a row to—now to Davis, people are going to write him off even more…I remember all the Tank ballads criticizing Shakur Stevenson for the way he looked against De Los Santos. So I said, ‘Okay, I’ll have Tanks fight him. Let’s see how he looks.’ He [Gervonta Davis] didn’t go near him. It goes to show the character that Keysjawn Davis has as well.”

Taking the debate forward, Ron Goodall, the interviewer, curiously put forth if whether they thought that Keyshawn Davis and Shakur Stevenson are misjudged by boxing fans for avoiding “barometer fights”. For those who may not know, the term “barometer fights” in boxing refers to fights against tough opponents who have more experience than you. And a win against them becomes a scale for what a boxer can do.

Addressing his question, Malignaggi spoke about the flip side of why these fights don’t happen. “Keyshawn and Shakur can’t get the barometer fight. Because sometimes, it’s not attainable. Because people don’t want to fight them. Gervonta Davis doesn’t get the barometer fight because he always avoids it. I don’t understand why the double standard? Where is the barometer fight for Gervonta Davis?” queried Malignaggi, ridiculing Tank for his fight choices. “One thing about Keyshawn and Shakur, they are looking for the toughest fights, and Keyshawn’s proven it. That is not an easy first defense of a world title,” Paulie Malignaggi added.

And there may be a strong reason why the boxer-turned-commentator pointed this out.

Keyshawn Davis’ calls unanswered by Gervonta Davis

It has been months since Keyshawn Davis has been challenging Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, of course, something that was answered by the WBA champion. Right after his victory over Gustavo Lemos in November 2024, The Businessman challenged Tank to meet him in the ring. However, there was radio silence on Tank’s part.

Again, Keyshawn Davis had called out Tank Davis after winning the WBO lightweight title by knocking out Denys Berinchyk in February this year. Still, the latter gave no response. While fans have eagerly waited for the bout, there are no updates from Tank. Gervonta Davis has dealt the same treatment to Shakur Stevenson for years now. This only furthers the assertion by former world champions that Tank picks easy fights over “barometer fights”.

Do you think Tank is avoiding the toughest competitors out there? Is he preventing the fight to maintain his record? Or will Keyshawn Davis need to prove himself more to gain the fight? Let us know your take below.