Keyshawn Davis talks a good game and fights even better.
As electric as Davis is, his patience needed to improve and he did just that in his win over Francesco Patera.
Official Scorecards: 100-89, 100-89, and 99-90. MTC scorecard: 99-90
“I give myself a C+ or B-. But like I said, we got the win, and that’s all that matters. I can’t really be too hard on myself if I don’t stop these guys because they have way more experience than me. But, at the end of the day, I am beating them unanimously in every round. I just got to take my hat off for just doing the little things like that, sticking to my game plan, listening to my coaching and just having fun in there.”
Keyshawn Davis on his win
In Davis’ (9-0, 6 KOs) win over Patera (28-4, 10 KOs), he used movement and a stiff jab early on to keep Patera at bay.
Davis did a good job when to be calculated with his work. There weren’t a lot of wasted punches or movement except in the fifth when he let Patera catch him because he was playing around.
Even then, he still won the round (barely) on my scorecard.
If there’s a criticism you can levy on Davis is that he plays around a little too much. He also got caught in the sixth round with a left because he was goofing off in the ring.
In the seventh round, Davis came out a lot more serious and picked up the pace. He did that while staying under control.
It all paid off in the eighth round when he sent Patera to the canvas with a straight right hand.
In the ninth, Davis got off to a fast start but Patera had his moments, making it a close round. It was the only round I gave to Patera but Davis would redeem himself in the tenth with a solid closeout round.
It was far from being a perfect fight. There were times when Davis’ defense slipped. There’s an argument for Davis not going to the body enough.
But it was his patience that was on display. It’s the reason why Davis stays on the path for a title shot.
(Photo Courtesy: Mikey Williams/Top Rank)
