Despite being the clear favorite entering his fight with WBO lightweight champion Denys Berinchyk, it was expected the bout would be the toughest of Keyshawn Davis’ young career. Rather than a difficult fight, Davis dominated the action before scoring a body shot knockout in the fourth round to win the first world championship of his career.
The first knockdown of the fight came in Round 3 when 25-year-old Davis (13-0, 1 NC) dropped Berinchyk with a left hook to the body. It was the first truly significant moment of the fight and one that proved Davis was not just talking when he said he would be going for the early knockout. Davis closed the round out with a big flurry as Berinchyk’s face was already showing the effects of Davis’ simple but effective attack, with bruising on his cheeks and a steady flow of blood from the nose.
Davis entered the fight fueled by a perceived racist incident in which he accused Berinchyk of having bananas and a watermelon delivered to his hotel room. Berinchyk and his team claimed Davis was looking for an edge to get hyped up for the fight. Davis vowed to score and early knockout to capture the belt and delivered on that promise less than one round later.
Another left hand to the body put Berinchyk down in Round 4 and Berinchyk stayed on one knee until the referee counted him out at the 1:45 mark of the frame.
The finishing flurry wasn’t spectacular but it was enough to leave Berinchyk either unable to, or make the decision not to, rise to his feet and make Davis the first fighter to not only defeat, but stop Berinchyk.
“It was an amazing feeling, man,” Davis said after his victory. “…I was like, I’ve got to knock him out now.”
Berinchyk rose to world champion status on the strength of a career that saw him go from Olympic silver medalist, an accomplishment he shared with Davis, to the man who defeated three-division world champion Emmanuel Navarrete to win a vacant title. Berinchyk’s biggest strength was seen as his unorthodox, awkward approach to his in-ring style.
“Honestly, I never had problems with awkward fighters,” Davis said. “The only thing that gave me trouble was with how he was jumping in and out, jumping in and out. He was a little faster than I expected but as the rounds went by I just kept getting more comfortable.”
In a lightweight division populated by familiar names and young talent, Davis now holds a title others will be tempted to challenge. That is a status Davis claimed to be willing to embrace, saying he was willing to face, “Anybody that’s got the balls to step in the ring and fight me.”
