Kyrone Davis wants anyone who views him only as a late replacement opponent for David Benavidez to think again. Davis says he is familiar with the situation facing him and will make it known that he is a top super middleweight by beating Benavidez.
Kyrone Davis fought former world champion Anthony Dirrell in February after learning of the fight date just a month earlier. Davis turned heads in the boxing world by battling Dirrell to a draw.
Davis fought Martez McGregor in September. He earned the victory despite only 13 days to prepare.
Kyrone Davis is 16-2-1 as a professional with six knockouts. He will now face his second world champion in 2021 on short notice.
Davis would be the underdog against undefeated former champion David Benavidez under any circumstances. But with only 16 days’ notice for the fight, much of the boxing world thinks the fight result is a foregone conclusion. But none of this bothers Davis.
Davis was training with WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford when the chance to fight Benavidez presented itself. The opportunity became available after Benavidez’s scheduled opponent, Jose Uzcategui, tested positive for a banned substance.
“I never say ‘no’ to anything,” Davis explains his reaction when trainer Stephen “Breadman” Edwards told him about the Benavidez fight. “Breadman believes in me and would never put me in danger.”
Kyrone Davis says he likes not having much time to prepare for a fight. “It provides less time to think,” he explains. “This took me a day to process the fight. I clicked on, and I’m fighting to win.”
David Benavidez has already held the super middleweight championship twice despite being only 24 years old. Benavidez lost the title both times due to problems outside the boxing ring.
Davis knows that David Benavidez is the best fighter he has faced up to this point. But he says he is not afraid of the opportunity. “It’s just a fight,” Davis says. “He’s a man. I’m a man.”