Keyshawn Davis Is Calling His Shot. Jamaine Ortiz Gets First Say

Keyshawn Davis is treating his return to a major stage less like a reset and more like a restart with leverage.

“A new fire has been lit. I learned a lot during this layoff. So, this is a second chance for me literally,” Davis told Ring Magazine after being added to Turki Alalshikh’s Ring 6 card on January 31.

Davis speaks as someone who believes the interruption is already behind him, and that the next phase of his career is pre approved.

“I’m just blessed to have a second chance after the layoff. Jamaine Ortiz has fought Teofimo. He’s fought Lomachenko. He’s been on bigger stages than me. Even though I feel like I got the bigger name, that guy can really fight.”

The acknowledgement of Jamaine Ortiz’s résumé is brief. The emphasis remains on Davis’s own position, even while conceding that Ortiz has operated at a higher competitive level.

The confidence escalates once Davis looks past January.

“After I beat Jermaine Ortiz, I’m going to go to 147 and become a 147 champion. Then, I’m going to defend it against somebody at 147,” Davis said with a smile, already speaking as if the order is settled.

He did not name an opponent. He did not need to.

“We’re talking on January 31st, I’m going to look great. And in the future, we’re going big.”

At welterweight, the list of meaningful paydays is short. Ryan Garcia. Devin Haney. Conor Benn.

Davis is not positioned among them yet. But he is speaking as if the introductions have already been made. That vision, however, assumes January 31 goes according to script.

Ortiz is not a soft re entry opponent. He is mobile. He is disciplined. He is comfortable fighting off the back foot and forcing adjustments. Davis has not dealt with that kind of opponent in the professional ranks. Not consistently. Not over rounds.

Top Rank has matched Davis carefully since his move into contender status. The opposition has been manageable. The styles have been predictable. Ortiz is neither.

If Davis struggles to find him early, or fails to control the pace, the night can change quickly. Confidence does not shorten rounds. And experience does not disappear because it is acknowledged in passing.

For all the talk of second chances and future plans, Jamaine Ortiz represents something Davis has not yet faced. Resistance that cannot be moved on command.

If that resistance holds, the path Davis is describing may narrow fast. And the bigger picture he is already painting could go up in smoke before it ever reaches 147.