After a week filled with taunts, threats and despicable racist acts, Keysnhawn Davis got his revenge over Denys Berinchyk where it mattered Friday, in the center of the ring at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.
In a battle of Olympic silver medalists, Davis proved himself a cut above by dropping Berinchyk twice with body shots and putting him down for the 10-count at 1:45 of the fourth to claim the WBO lightweight title in his first championship opportunity.
Davis landed only six body punches in just over three rounds, but he made the most of them. His buddy, boxing legend Terence Crawford, was ringside to support him. Crawford made his presence felt by shouting to Davis to not let Berinchyk tie him up on the inside and then to go to the body.
“He told me [to go to the body],” a jubilant Davis said after tying Oscar De La Hoya as the third-fastest man to win a lightweight title, doing it in his 14th pro fight. Only Vasiliy Lomachenko and Jimmy Britt (120 years earlier in 1905), at 12, did it faster.
“He was like, ‘Man, I told you [the body shots would do it],’ ” Davis said of Crawford. “That’s my money shot.”
Davis, who won silver in the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021, refers to himself as “The Businessman.” Only 25, he fought with the calm and poise of a 10-year veteran. He refused to let the taunts, shoves, and racist acts he faced during fight week shake him or deter him from his mission.
He and Berinchyk had been at odds all week, and Berinchyk shoved Davis from behind at Thursday’s weigh-in. Davis went after him and the pair had to be separated by members of their team and security.
Someone sent Davis, who is black, a package with bananas and watermelon and a hand-written note that referred to him as “The Businesswoman.” Berinchyk’s team denied any involvement, though notably Berinchyk and members of his team referred to Davis as “Businesswoman” during fight week.
Davis, who has fought mental health issues, said he was able to shrug off everything Berinchyk tried to throw him off his game before the fight, and that included the package sent to his hotel.
“Honestly, man, I’ve been through a lot of trials and tribulations throughout my entire life,” Davis said when asked how he handled everything that happened beforehand. “I still had to go overseas and fight in Russia. I still had to go overseas so I could go pro and get this amazing contract for me and my brothers.
“So them antics that happened this week, it was fun to me. The fight was even better and I got to release all that.”
Mikey Williams/Top Rank
Referee Harvey Dock reaches the count of 10 as Denys Berinchyk winces from a Keyshawn Davis body shot.
The other lightweight title-holders are all big names in the sport. Gervonta Davis is the WBA champion, Shakur Stevenson is WBC champion and Lomachenko holds the IBF belt.
Both Davis and Lomachenko are with Top Rank, so that’s the easiest of the three fights to make, but it’s not certain if Lomachenko will box any longer.
That’s all for the future, though. In the here and now, Davis proved that the hype that has surrounded him since before the Olympics was justified. He turned in his best performance in his biggest moment, looking like a star as he dismantled the previously unbeaten Berinchyk.
As referee Harvey Dock counted to 10 in the center of the ring, Davis stood in his corner waving his arms above his head.
For a man who once held a gun, contemplating the unthinkable, winning the title was pure joy. He’d seized the title with authority in his first chance, in less than four years, and he turned in the kind of performance that Lomachenko, Davis and De La Hoya had memorably delivered before him.
He is a champion now with oodles of talent, a charismatic personality and plenty of high-quality opponents with whom to fight and, more importantly, earn big money.
He’s a businessman, indeed.