Cruz framed his view around Davis’ ability rather than the opponent.
“Keyshawn has a great amount of talent,” Cruz said to The Ring. “If he prepares well, he should win.”
Cruz kept his comments professional and made it clear he rates Davis’ ability. He stopped short of offering anything beyond that.
Davis returns against Ortiz after nearly a year away, following a stretch that disrupted his plans and delayed his comeback.
A scheduled title defense was canceled after he failed to make weight. The night ended with a locker room incident that further damaged his standing and delayed his return.
Those events continue to shape how Davis is viewed inside the division. His ability and athleticism aren’t the issue.
They are about control, discipline, and whether the lessons from that period have translated into changes that hold up under pressure.
Cruz has not suggested that those concerns have vanished. In earlier comments, he openly criticized Davis’ professionalism and conduct, pointing to them as areas that needed work. While his tone has softened, the message remains intact. Talent has never been the issue.
Cruz’s history with Davis explains why he weighed in on the Ortiz fight at all. Ortiz is not treated as a secondary threat or a soft return. Cruz has described him as a technically sound fighter who requires focus and structure from the other corner.
Cruz also has a personal interest behind his comments. His repeated amateur wins over Davis have long been mentioned as evidence of the difference between them. If Davis were to lose convincingly to Ortiz, especially in a one sided fight, the discussion around those wins would shift. They would not disappear, but they would be viewed differently.
For Cruz, who is building his professional identity at lightweight, perception still carries value. Davis remains his most recognizable rival and the clearest commercial opponent tied to his Olympic success. A setback for Davis complicates that path rather than strengthening it.
Cruz, meanwhile, has his own immediate task. He faces IBF champion Raymond Muratalla in Las Vegas in a fight that directly affects the division’s hierarchy. That bout sits at the center of his near term plans, yet Davis continues to intersect with his career whether Cruz seeks it or not.
A professional meeting between Cruz and Davis has not been settled. Cruz has acknowledged that Davis wants it, while also making clear that weight and timing would need to change. There is no urgency in his comments, but there is no dismissal either.
Davis’ return against Ortiz is his first appearance in nearly a year. The night is being watched closely for signs of change.
Cruz is backing Davis on talent alone and leaving everything else up to how he performs on the night.
How Cruz’s comment is taken will depend on how Davis looks against Ortiz. The talent is obvious, but fans are still waiting to see it show up cleanly on the night.
Ortiz enters the fight as a known quantity rather than an unknown test. He has shared the ring with elite opposition, including Teofimo Lopez and Vasiliy Lomachenko, and has built a reputation as a fighter who does not panic under pressure. His style is compact, disciplined, and built to force exchanges to happen on his terms.
That profile makes him a useful opponent for measuring where Davis is after the last year, particularly in rounds where patience and decision making matter more than speed or flash.
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