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Mike CoppingerESPN
Keyshawn Davis and Emmanuel Tagoe have struck a deal for a lightweight fight on April 8 in Newark, New Jersey, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.
Davis, ESPN’s reigning Prospect of the Year, will step up in class for his first scheduled 10-rounder.
The Olympic silver medalist fought three times in 2022; Davis (7-0, 5 KOs) scored two stoppage victories before a shutout decision win over former title challenger Juan Carlos Burgos in December.
The 23-year-old’s bout against Tagoe boosts the undercard for the April 8 main event – Shakur Stevenson’s lightweight bout vs. Shuichiro Yoshino on ESPN/ESPN+.
Tagoe (32-2, 15 KOs) is coming off a lopsided decision loss to star boxer Ryan Garcia in April. Garcia floored Tagoe in Round 2 and hurt him later in the fight, but the fringe contender was able to survive.
Tagoe, a 34-year-old from Ghana, represents by far the toughest opposition of Davis’ career; a win could push Davis closer to a title shot.
Devin Haney is the undisputed lightweight champion and remains in talks for a fight vs. Vasiliy Lomachenko on May 20. However, it’s expected Haney will vacate the belts afterward, if he’s victorious, to campaign at 140 pounds.