Tim Bradley is worried for Prime Rank’s fighter light-weight contender Keyshawn Davis, who’s dealing with a much bigger Gustavo Lemos tonight on the primary occasion on the Scope Area in Norfolk, Virginia.
(Credit score: Mikey Williams/Prime Rank)
Lemos missed weight by 6.4 lbs, coming in at 141.4 lbs, and Bradley is one in every of many indignant about it. The apparent query is, WHY was a light-weight welterweight chosen as Keyshawn’s opponent within the first place? There wouldn’t have been an issue if Prime Rank had chosen a light-weight as a substitute of pooling from the 140-lb division.
It’s been 5 years since Lemos (29-1, 19 KOs) final fought at 135 5 years in the past in November 2019. The Argentinian Lemos has been campaigning at gentle welterweight since 2020, so it’s ridiculous that he was chosen to be the opponent.
If the huge welterweight-sized Keyshawn had been requested to soften right down to 130 to be the B-side opponent for one of many fighters in that weight class, would he do it? He would refuse. Even when Keyshawn agreed, the probabilities are he’d are available obese.
Lemos has been campaigning at 140, and it appeared weird that he was picked as Keyshawn’s opponent, anticipated to boil down to present the Virginia native an unfair benefit over him simply in order that he might win. It’s apparent what this transfer is all about, and you’ll’t blame Lemos for not making weight.
That is extra about giving Keyshawn what would have been a weight-drained opponent in order that he might destroy him and appear like 24k gold relatively than the tarnished gold that we noticed in his latest fights in opposition to Miguel Madueno on July sixth, and Nahir Albright on October 15, 2023.
“There’s at all times a priority, particularly six kilos. Initially, that’s disrespectful. Exhibiting up right here and never making the burden. Not even caring and getting shut? Come on, man,” stated Tim Bradley to Fighthype about Gustavo Lemos lacking weight by 6.4 lbs by coming in at 141.4 lbs at Thursday’s weigh-in for his struggle tonight in opposition to Keyshawn Davis in Norfolk, Virginia.
It’s not disrespectful for Lemos to overlook weight. That is the tip results of what occurs when a fighter chooses an opponent that fights exterior of his weight class at the next weight. If Keyshawn and his group needed to make sure that their opponent would make the 135-lb restrict, they need to have chosen a light-weight as a substitute of a light-weight welterweight, who hadn’t fought within the division in 5 years.
Former four-time Keyshawn conqueror, Andy Cruz of Cuba, was out there and would have gladly taken the struggle to have the chance to defeat him for a fifth consecutive time. Why didn’t Keyshawn and Prime Rank select Cruz? He fights at light-weight and is ranked #4 WBA.
“It places Keyshawn and his group in a really powerful place as a result of 10,000 individuals are popping out to see him struggle. It’s his first homecoming. ESPN is right here. The promoter spent the cash to get everyone right here. In the event you don’t take the struggle, you [anger] an entire lot of individuals. In the event you do take the struggle, you are taking the danger [of losing].”
Scope Area has a seating capability of 10,253, and there might be large followers watching Keyshawn lose tonight if 10,000 present up. That’s the quantity that Keyshawn has repeatedly stated might be in attendance.
“It’s unfair. You’re preventing a man from a unique weight class. It’s not proper,” stated Bradley. “That is speculated to be his [Keyshawn] second. He picked Lemos. He stated he might make the struggle. Lemos hasn’t made that weight in two years [correction: FIVE years. Lemos last fought at 135 on November 23, 2019] at 135 lbs. He’s been preventing at 140, however nonetheless, that’s not an excuse. You signed on the dotted line. So that you’re speculated to make that weight.”
The counter-argument to Bradley’s remark about it being “unfair” that Lemos missed weight is why he was chosen for this struggle from the 140-lb division. What was the rationale for that choice? Wasn’t this transfer by Keyshawn designed with the final word purpose of preventing a weight-drained opponent, Lemos, to make himself look good? It appears clear, and Lemos needed to have seen via the smokescreen and refused for use as a device to make Keyshawn appear like a 24k gold bar.
“Keyshawn’s group has bought to get this proper. This can be a harmful struggle. I might perceive if he was preventing a feather-fisted fighter. He’s preventing a puncher,” stated Bradley.
If Keyshawn loses to Lemos, it would solely present what is going to occur to him as soon as he begins preventing higher opposition. Keyshawn was staggered by Nahir Albright, barely beat him, and struggled in his final struggle in opposition to Miguel Madueno on July sixth. That was the struggle through which Keyshawn roughed up Madueno when he began taking huge photographs from the Mexican fighter. These two performances by Keyshawn confirmed that he’s not going to go far at light-weight with out being protected by his promoters at Prime Rank.
