Keyshawn Davis not only thinks he will win his first world title this Friday, February 14 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden – but that the bout with WBO titleholder Denys Berinchyk won’t make it beyond the opening three minutes.
“My last fight I got a second-rounder, so Ima try to go for the first-rounder this time,” .
In November, Davis fought Gustavo Lemos, who came in more than six pounds overweight, tipping the scales beyond 141lbs, which would’ve also been overweight one division up at junior welterweight, never mind for their contractually agreed-upon limit of 135lbs. But Davis wasn’t bothered; he floored Lemos three times for a second-round technical knockout, moving to 12-0 (8 KOs).
Berinchyk, 19-0 (9 KOs), has something in common with Davis – he won a silver medal in the 2012 Olympics, while Davis did so at the 2020/2021 Games. Last May, Berinchyk won a split decision over Emanuel Navarrete to earn the vacant WBO belt.
This will be Berinchyk’s first defense. Davis believes it will also be Berinchyk’s last.
“I just feel like Berinchyk is a great fighter, but he just not on my level,” Davis said. “I can do it, so Ima go out there and do it.”
And if that first-round TKO doesn’t happen? Davis says it still won’t be good news for Berinchyk.
“I’m ready to go 12 [rounds] at the end of the day, but I feel like it’s not even going to be 12,” Davis said. “As the fight go on and on and on, whether I'm chasing him or whether he walking me down, he just gonna be getting broke down.”
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter and . He is the co-host of the . David’s book, “,” is available on Amazon.