NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — As the Summer Olympics approach, the journey to Paris is well underway for many athletes. That includes a local boxer who is heading to the Olympic trials in Louisiana.
Inside the gym is where Keon Davis feels at home. The Norfolk native is in there everyday, fighting for his shot to be on the Olympic team — and continue a family legacy.
Right now, the 22-year-old is gearing up for the biggest fight of his career so far.
“It’s the 2023 Olympic trials,” Davis recently told 10 on Your Side.
Davis grew up around the ring and fell in love with the sport at just seven years old.
“There was a boxing gym in my neighborhood, and my brothers, they had started before me,” said Davis. “I was watching them, so I wanted to give it a try too.”
His training is grueling, but he’s focused.
“In boxing, you have to train hard, there’s a lot of sacrifices to be made,” Davis said. “You want the sacrifices to actually mean something, you want the world to know that you’re the best.”
The boxing world certainly knows his name. Keon’s older brothers, Kelvin and Keyshawn, are both undefeated in their their professional boxing careers. Plus, Keyshawn brought home a silver medal from the Tokyo Olympics.
They call themselves “DB3.”
“Davis brothers, the three of us. It’s a family, we stick together,” said Davis. “I just learn from them, learn from their mistakes that they make, and learn from the good things that they do, too.”
Continuing their legacy and representing the 757 are at the top of his mind.
“This is what I do it for: my family, where I come from,” Davis explained. “It would mean a lot, it would mean everything to me.”
That’s why he’s focused on punching his ticket to Paris.
“If I win, well, when I win the tournament, I will be on the Olympic team and I will be able to go to Paris in 2024 to represent the United States as a 156 pounder, from Norfolk, Virginia,” Davis said.
The Olympic trials for boxing begin in December 1st in Louisiana.
10 on Your Side’s Marielena Balouris and WAVY Chief Photographer Jeff Myers are heading to Paris to cover the games next summer. You can catch all the action from the 2024 Summer Olympics on WAVY-TV 10.