Keyshawn Davis vs Francesco Patera Preview July 22nd, 2023
Unbeaten former amateur star Keyshawn Davis of Norfolk, Virginia returns to the ring this Saturday, July 22nd as he takes on Francesco Patera of Belgium. The 10-round lightweight tilt from Shawnee, Oklahoma can be seen live in America on ESPN and ESPN+ and in the UK on Sky Sports Action while Canadian fans can see it on TSN 2. Davis last fought in April when he stopped Anthony Yigit in the ninth round for the vacant WBC USA Lightweight Title and to retain his WBO Inter-Continental Belt which he won when beating Juan Carlos Burgos via an eight-round unanimous decision last December. Patera last saw action in April as well when he halted Irakli Shariashvili in just 20 seconds.
Davis vs Patera Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Francesco Patera +1400
- Keyshawn Davis – 4000
My Pick
The 24-year-old Davis enters the fight with an unbeaten record of 8-0 with 6 Ko’s and has fought 42 rounds since making his pro debut in February, 2021. Davis enjoyed an superb amateur career which saw him win silver medals at the 2019 Pan American Games, the 2019 World Championships, and the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan as a lightweight, losing to Cuba’s Andy Cruz in the final of each of those tournaments.
Davis stands 5-feet-9-inches tall with a 70-inch reach and has had no problem adapting to pro boxing as he currently owns a knockout ratio of 75 per cent. The only opponents to go the distance with him so far have been Jose Meza who went six rounds in May, 2021 but lost every round in a unanimous decision defeat, and Juan Carlos Burgos, who also lost every round last December.
Exceptional speed and power are what Davis brings to the ring as he continues his pro career. Understandably, he’s being brought along somewhat cautiously as he attempts to climb the rankings but each opponent he’s faced has entered the ring with a winning record. Patera is a solid veteran but fans are anxious to see how Davis handles a legitimate top-10 contender as soon as possible. They’d also like to see him face his amateur nemesis Andy Cruz somewhere down the line. Cruz made his pro debut on July 15th with a unanimous 10-round decision over Juan Carlos Burgos.
Patera is 30 years old and climbs through the ring ropes with a mark of 28-3 with 10 Ko’s. He turned pro back in 2012 and has 201 rounds of experience under his belt. He stands just over 5-feet-9-inches tall but unfortunately has an unlisted reach, so is just half an inch taller than Davis. When it comes to power, Patera is below average as his current knockout ratio clocks in at just 32.3 per cent. He has stopped two of his last four opponents but also just three of his past 14.
Patera captured the Belgian Lightweight Title in 2015 with a 10-round unanimous decision over Hakim Ben Ali. His first defeat was to Yvan Mendy by 12-round unanimous decision for the vacant European Lightweight Title in 2016 and he dropped a 10-round split decision to Sean Dodd the same year for the WBC International Lightweight Belt. Petera managed to win the European Title in May 2017 via a 12-round split decision over Edis Tatli but he lost it by unanimous decision in a rematch with Tatli seven months later.
That wasn’t the end of the story though as Patera reclaimed the vacant European Belt in October, 2018 with a split decision victory over Lewis Ritson. During his career he’s also captured the WBC Mediterranean, vacant WBO Inter-Continental, and vacant WBO Global Lightweight Belts with wins over Pasquale Di Silvio, Devis Boschiero and Samuel Molina respectively. Patera’s on a bit of a roll right now as hew’s won 10 straight fights.
Prediction…
There isn’t really a weak side to Davis’ game and his power and boxing skills have simply been too much for all of his opponents so far. As for Patera, he’s a pretty good European level boxer but hasn’t fought anybody world class during his career. He lacks the power to keep Davis off of him and tat will ultimately cost him as Davis should improve to 9-0 on Saturday night.
The younger Davis has the decided edge in power, speed and overall boxing skills.
Play Davis -4000 @ BetOnline.ag
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Francesco Patera betting • Keyshawn Davis betting