Richardson Hitchins Criticizes Keyshawn Davis’ ‘Matchmaking,’ Citing Questionable Opponent Selection For WBO Title Defense

Richardson Hitchins says he sees Top Rank fighter Keyshawn Davis as a fighter who has been strategically matched. He feels that he was fast-tracked to his WBO lightweight title with “matchmaking.” 

(Credit: Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

IBF light welterweight champion Hitchins believes the performances that Keyshawn (13-0, 9 KOs) has put on since capturing an Olympic silver medal in 2020 have been strategic matchmaking. He mentions him being put in with 35-year-old Jose Pedraza last year after that guy came down from 140 to fight him.

Cruz Avoidance

Last November, Davis fought Gustavo Lemos, who came down from light welterweight as well to fight him, and looked terrible at the weight.

Hitchins isn’t impressed that Keyshawn is defending his WBO 135-lb title against Edwin De Los Santos next on June 7th at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. The event will be shown live on ESPN. He points out that De Los Santos (16-2, 14 KOs) hasn’t fought in two years since 2023 and is coming off a loss to Shakur Stevenson.

Out of all the contenders at lightweight that Keyshawn could defend against, he chooses inactive De Los Santos. His four-time conqueror, Andy Cruz, has been begging for a fight against him, but has been ignored by him. I’ve lost track of how many times Cruz has called out Keyshawn and been ignored.

When you see Keyshawn bypassing the 2020 Olympic gold medalist Cruz, who schooled him in the finals, and selecting De Los Santos, it can only mean one thing. It’s matchmaking. Protect ‘The Businessman.’

“Come on, Pedraza. They bring him down. I’m looking at Pedraza punching him. Keyshawn is looking out the ring like this. He don’t even care,” said Richardson Hitchins to ThaBoxingvoice when asked if he thinks Keyshawn Davis has been strategically matched.

Pedraza was chosen for Keyshawn after his poor performance against Nahir Albright. He’d struggled against Albright, getting staggered and had wilted under the pressure from him in the championship rounds. After that fight, Top Rank backed Keyshawn off from fighting fringe contenders and focused on either fighters who were drained coming down from 140 or older guys in their mid-30s.

“It’s Matchmaking”

“I’m not taking away from Keyshawn like he’s trash or he’s not a good fighter. But the performances he put on it was matchmaking. Bring down a fighter who is somebody at 147. That’s still matchmaking to me,” said Hitchins on whether he thinks WBO lightweight champion Keyshawn’s fight against Edwin De Los Santos on June 7th is a ‘real fight.’”

I agree with Hitchins. Those performances by Keyshawn were 100% matchmaking because he’s being put in with guys that are designed to make him look like 24k gold. He can’t go wrong against little 5’5″ Lemos or past his prime, much smaller Peraza, and Denys Berinchyk.

“Yeah, two years. Damn near two years out of the ring and you’re fighting Edwin. Come on, bro,” said Richardson about Keyshawn fighting inactive De Los Santos, who hasn’t fought since November 16, 2023, when he lost to Shakur Stevenson.

Keyshawn wasn’t trying to fight De Los Santos when he was still active two to three years ago. He waited until he’d been out of the ring for a couple of years before he looked his way. I guess that’s why he calls himself ‘The Businessman.”

“Edwin was somewhere in DR the Dominican Republic] smoking hookah,” said Hitchins about De Los Santo. “He’s just trying to make more money. They probably f***** him [De Los Santos] off that money for Shakur, and he’s probably, ‘Alright, these [people] are going to give me a better bag or some s***.’

“It’s got to be some more money because there’s no way you’re coming back from a two-year break, and you just want to fight Keyshawn Davis,” said Hitchins.