Coach Greg Hackett is picking Keyshawn Davis to knockout WBO lightweight champion Denys Berinchyk in their next fight on February 14th at Madison Square Garden in New York. Hackett believes that the 36-year-old Berinchyk (19-0, 9 KOs) is no longer at his peak and is perfect for Keyshawn (12-0, 8 KOs) to knockout.
Davis is not a knockout puncher, and he was hurt when he tried to KO Nahir Albright. Berinchyk has the skills and more than enough power to expose Keyshawn and show fans that he’s still the same fighter that Cuba’s Andy Cruz beat four times.
Berinchyk’s Technical Edge
Top Rank is hyping Davis like mad, trying to turn him into a star without putting him in a risky fight against Cruz or some of the other killers.
They were wrong in their last fight involving Berinchyk when they matched the popular Mexican fighter Emanuel Navarrete against him, only to see the Ukrainian talent beat him. Now, it’s Keyshawn’s turn. If he loses this fight to Berinchyk, you can bet Top Rank will keep their fighters well away from him.
“Keyshawn put on a hell of a fight in his last performance [against Gustavo Lemos]. He’s got a guy that’s tough in front of him. This guy, Berinchyk, is not sweet, but he’s not at his peak. He’s past his peak. He can fight and all that, but he’s past his peak,” said coach Greg Hackett to YSM Sports Media, talking about WBO lightweight champion Denys Berinchyk, who Keyshawn Davis will be challenging next on February 14th.
“I think Keysahwn is going to work him over and stop him in the eighth round. He’s going to work him over, though. A good jab, a good right hand. Keyshawn in this fight is going to have to slow things back up. Don’t go out there rushing, looking for a knockout. I’m not saying he went out there looking for a knockout against Lemos.
“That kind of happened because Lemos was forcing the action. In this one, Berinchyk is going to be a little bit more strategic. He’s going to be poking at him a little bit. So in this one, he’s [Davis] has got to take his time, break him down, go to that body a little bit, sneak some uppercuts in there, and sneak some hooks in there,” said Hackett.
Davis’ win over Gustavo Lemos was due to his fight with a short, 5’5 1/2″, slow fighter who was coming off a loss to Richardson Hitchins and had drained down from 140 to take the fight. Keyshawn hand-picked him. Davis saw Lemos get beaten by Hitchins.
Why Not Andy Cruz?
These are the questions you must ask Davis: Why pick a fighter coming off a loss who fights at light welterweight? Andy Cruz was available at 135, and he’d already beaten Keyshawn four times.
“Keyshawn is going to slow him down, and in the eighth round, he’s going to stop him. Not household, but this one, we’re going to be talking a little bit, but not household,” said Hackett when asked if this fight will make Keyshawn Davis a household name if he’s victorious against Berinchyk.
“For household, he’s going to need a Teo [Lopez], he’s going to need an ‘Africa’ [Richardson Hitchins]. He’s going to need somebody to be a household. It’s got to be one of them, ‘Oh, okay.’ This one is, ‘Oh okay, I see you, but I need an oh, okay. You’re not f**** around.,’” said Hackett.
For Keyshawn to become a household name, he’s going to have to beat these fighters:
- Gervonta Davis
- Shakur Stevenson
- Andy Cruz
- Edwin De Los Santos
- William Zepeda
Unfortunately, Keyshawn probably won’t fight any of those guys, so he may never become a household name. He’ll just be known to the hardcore boxing fans. What he should do is move up to 147 and take on Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis to see if he can beat him. He’s the same size as Boots, and if he wins, he will be a household name.
A Welterweight In Disguise?
He probably won’t do that, though, because Ennis would beat him, and he wouldn’t want to take the risk. Keyshawn should be fighting at 147 because he’s a welterweight in size. If Boots wanted to game the system, he’d do the same thing Keyshawn is by draining down to 135 to fight smaller guys, but he’s brave and wouldn’t pull a weak move like that.
“If he gives me two bodies, we’re missing one more body. I need three. I need them to be really dropping,” said Hackett when asked if Keyshawn needs a knockout against Berinchyk. “This is going to be a good one, though. Berinchyk is going to bring some tricks out. So, that’s why I say that Keyshawn has got to be patient.”
Keyshawn is not a knockout puncher, so Hackett got things all wrong about him because he’s never been that type of fighter. His recent KO against Lemos was due to him fighting a tiny 5’5″ guy with no hand speed who fought like a Neanderthal man. He was made to order for him or any fighter at 135.
“Don’t be greedy in this fight. Pick at your work. Don’t be greedy. Not everything, but he’s going to have to bring out a couple of sets of equipment,” said Hackett about Davis. “He’s going to be bring everything, but he don’t need the big bag, but he’s going to need a bag,” said Hackett on whether Davis will need to bring everything to defeat Berinchyk.
Davis will get greedy and try and score a knockout against Berinchyk. That’s going to result in him getting clipped just like he was in his fight against Nahir Albright, who had him staggering around in the eighth round when he tried to KO him.
Cruz Lessons
“He’s not going to need to bring everything because it won’t be everything in front of you,” said Hackett. “Sometimes, we think we need a whole lot, but sometimes, all you need is a basic jab, a basic right hand, and a basic hook with some good distance. Sometimes, that’s all you need. He might need a little bit more than that, but he’s not going to need everything.
“That’s what we think sometimes. He just needs a good, sturdy bag,” said Hackett, sounding like a cheerleader for Keyshawn.
Davis will need a lot more than a “study bag” to defeat Berinchyk because this guy is technically a better fighter than him, with a lot more amateur and pro experience. Keyshawn was figured out by Andy Cruz of Cuba, who beat him for the fourth time in the 2020 Olympics. He again exposed him for being a limited fighter with little more than a jab.
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