Today, Keyshawn Davis took to social media to say that he would be “incredibly strong” February 14 when he fights next. Davis (12-0, 8 KOs) is next expected to challenge Denys Berinchyk for his WBO lightweight title at Madison Square Garden’s Hula Theater in New York.
Davis isn’t saying how he’ll be stronger because he’s not known as a hitter. He’s more of a boxer, and the guys he knocked out were mostly middle-class fighters. Berinchyk has too much talent for Davis to overpower him, so it’s foolish for him to focus on that angle to win this fight. Berinchyk has defeated many strong fighters over many years in the amateur ranks.
Keyshawn decided not to take his friend, WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson, for his belt because he didn’t want to fight him. He believes he will defeat Berinchyk (19-0, 9 KOs) to win his WBO belt and then use the title to fight Gervonta Davis and Vasiliy Lomachenko. Sounds like a pipe dream.
If Keyshawn gets his hands on the WBO belt, he will defend it against any little-known contender that Top Rank can dig up for him, but it won’t be Tank or Loma. That doesn’t happen.
The defending champion
Those guys won’t fight Davis, but it’s not because they’re afraid of him. Both are coming out of retirement and will focus on popular fighters that casual boxing fans have heard of. Keyshawn is completely unknown to casuals.
Top Rank has accelerated 2020 Olympic silver medalist Davis, moving him into title contention without him making it there, fighting any of the top contenders in the lightweight division, such as Andy Cruz or Edwin De Los Santos. It is called ‘Backdoor method’ which promoters use for fighters they don’t want to take a chance on.
If they believed Keyshawn, they would have tested him against Cruz and De Los Santos. They obviously know what could happen to Davis if he goes up against either of those two talents, and that wouldn’t be good for him. It would be a repeat of Keyshawn’s loss at the 2020 Olympics.
The next time I’m in that ring, I’m going to be incredibly strong.💪🏾 #14. February⭐️
— Keyshawn Davis (@KeyshawnDavis8) January 3, 2025
