Promoter Bob Arum says Keyshawn Davis is the “next successor” to replace Vasily Lomachenko for his Top Rank company following today’s retirement of Loma. Arum feels that Keyshawn (13-0, 9 KOs) is the right man to fill the void left by the former three-division world champion Lomachenko.
Arum Names Loma’s Successor
Fans would disagree with Keyshawn being the one to take over for Lomachenko, but you can’t blame Arum for wanting him to. He’s poured a lot of money into Davis’ career, and he wants him to be a star. However, promoters can’t force the public to like a fighter if he’s not beating elite-level opposition.
It worked for Arum in turning Tyson Fury into a star, and he only has two notable wins on his resume: fading 39-year-old Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder. It’s more difficult to turn a fighter into a mega-star at 135, 140, and 147 because they have to fight good opposition. They can’t face washed-up old guys who are paper champions, like we saw with Fury.
Davis vs. Lomachenko Comparison
Unfortunately, Keyshawn’s credentials are nowhere near as spectacular as Loma’s. Davis was beaten by Cuba’s Andy Cruz in the 2020 Olympics and had to settle for a silver medal. Lomachenko captured two gold medals in the Olympics for Ukraine, and could have won a third and fourth if he had decided to stay in the amateurs.
As a professional, Vasily captured world titles in three weight classes. For Keyshawn to equal that, he would need to move up to 140 and 147 to win belts. With the right kind of matchmaking, Davis can capture a second world title at 140, but he’s not going to win any titles at 147 as long as Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and Brian Norman Jr. are still around.
Keyshawn doesn’t have the chin to take the shots from those fighters. Moreover, without the huge size advantage Davis has had at 135, he’s going to be overmatched against fighters his size at 147, like Boots, Norman Jr, and Shakhram Giyasov. He won’t win a world title if he has to go through one of those fighters. As such, Arum is going to have to fight someone else to replace Lomachenko because Keyshawn is a poor replacement.
Don’t touch @KeyshawnDavis8’s strap 🥶 pic.twitter.com/cIWJEMO7Qr
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) June 5, 2025
“One of my fighters, Vasily Lomachenko, retired today, and the next successor for him is Keyshawn. So, I’m going to be looking forward to the next couple of years,” said promoter Bob Arum to Fighthype. “That’s fine. Words don’t upset me,” said Arum about the back-and-forth between Keyshawn and Abdullah Mason on stage.
“As long as they keep their hands to themselves, they can say whatever they want about each other because if it’s 3 years, 2 years, or 1 year, they’re going to end up eventually fighting each other. Abdullah hasn’t had nearly the experience that Keyshawn has. So, he needs that experience before he’s ready to step in the ring with Keyshawn.”
Last Updated on 06/05/2025
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