NEWARK, New Jersey – Keyshawn Davis punctuated another superb performance with a technical knockout this time around.
Almost four months after going the distance with durable Mexican veteran Juan Carlos Burgos, Davis battered and bloodied Anthony Yigit for eight-plus rounds on his way to a TKO victory Saturday night on the Shakur Stevenson-Shuichiro Yoshino undercard at Prudential Center. Davis dropped Yigit late in the eighth round with a body shot, resumed his vicious assault on the courageous Swedish southpaw as soon as the ninth round began and caused referee Benjy Esteves to stop their scheduled 10-rounder while Yigit was still standing.
The official time of the stoppage was 21 seconds of the ninth round.
The 24-year-old Davis (8-0, 6 KOs), a 2021 Olympic silver medalist from Norfolk, Virginia, continued his impressive rise in the lightweight division.
Stockholm’s Yigit (26-3-1, 10 KOs) lost inside the distance for the third time in 10 years as a pro.
Former IBF junior welterweight champ stopped Yigit after the seventh round in October 2018, when Yigit’s left eye was swollen shut in their 140-pound title fight at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans. Former WBA interim lightweight champ Rolando Romero then stopped Yigit in the seventh round of their July 2021 bout at AT&T Center in San Antonio.
The beginning of the end came in the eighth round Saturday night, when Davis viciously tattooed Yigit with lefts and rights to his head and body. Davis finally floored Yigit by landing a right hand to the body that sent him to the canvas with a few seconds to go in the eighth round.
Yigit beat Esteves’ count and made it to the ninth round.
A bloodied and battered Yigit implored Davis to continue hammering him with power shots during the seventh round. Davis obliged by picking him apart to the head and body in those three minutes.
Davis resumed his assault on Yigit’s body and head during the sixth round. Yigiti displayed a lot of toughness in those three minutes, but he took a lot of flush punches.
Davis bombarded Yigit with flush power punches that knocked his game opponent around the ring in the final 20 seconds of the fifth round.
Back-to-back left hooks by Davis made Yigit stumble about 1:15 into the fifth round. Davis’ right hand rocked Yigit about 45 seconds into the fifth round.
A left hook by Davis knocked Yigit off balance just before the bell sounded to end the fourth round. Davis drilled Yigit with a right hand that moved him backward with 1:10 to go in the fourth round.
An accidental clash of heads made Davis turn away from Yigit late in the third round. Esteves gave Davis ample time to recover with 11 seconds remaining in the third round.
Davis landed two straight rights that backed up Yigit just after the midway mark of the third round. Davis continue to land right hands later in the third round.
Yigit went down about 30 seconds into the third round, but Esteves ruled that it was a slip. Esteves warned Yigit for hitting Davis behind his head soon thereafter.
Davis pushed Yigit to the canvas after an awkward entanglement with about a minute to go in the second round. A counter left hook by Davis landed about 45 seconds into the second round.
Davis landed a right hand toward the end of the first round that got Yigit’s attention and made him back away from Davis.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for krikya360.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.