Underdog champion Denys Berinchyk won’t be a ‘punching bag’ for Keyshawn Davis

Denys Berinchyk makes the first defense of his lightweight title on Friday when he meets Norfolk, Virginia’s Keyshawn Davis inside the Theater in Madison Square Garden.

The 36 year old from Ukraine won the WBO crown via a split decision win over Emanuel Navarrete in San Diego in May 2024.

The oddsmakers felt Navarrete would be victorious then, and they favor Davis, 25, this time, too.

Berinchyk knows he’s been written off.

“Yes, what was that?” he asked BoxingScene rhetorically. “It was even in Ukraine [where they felt Navarrete would win]. You could go back and see the odds – I was the complete underdog, not only in the States but even in Ukraine people didn’t expect me to win. It’s the same situation now with Keyshawn. We can see the future.”

Davis is a high-flier and one of the sport’s brightest hopes for the future. 

But in May, against Mexico’s Navarette, it was Berinchyk’s night. As he raised the crown above his head, he finally felt “that all my hard work had paid off – that was the main thing I was happy about”.

It also sent a message back home, to his embattled country. Along with Oleksandr Usyk and Vasiliy Lomachenko, Berinchyk has given boxing fans in Ukraine something to draw solace from through the brutal conflict with Russia.

“It’s a good motivation for Ukrainian people, to work hard in order to win,” he said. 

Former Olympian Davis is an admirable talent. He is 12-0 (8 KOs) and was impressive when blowing away Gustavo Lemos in three rounds in November. But Berinchyk sees flaws, which he is not prepared to share ahead of time, and he has plans to be a far harder target than Lemos proved.

“They all just stand in front of him and he’s just worked on them like he’s on a punching bag,” the champion said of Lemos and Davis’ other foes. “When we fight, it’s going to be different. Keyshawn has a lack of pro experience, and that means he’s going to be in trouble when he faces a fighter like me.” 

Is Keyshawn Davis the next big thing?

“Maybe, but he’s supposed to prove it [in the ring] and it can happen in time, maybe,” he said. “Maybe not. And not in this weight class and not in February [when they fight]. His defense is pretty good, but his offense on the other hand is not as good. We are working on the things we think we can exploit. We’ve been working on it for the last three months.”

The fight that Top Rank’s Berinchyk would most like is with PBC’s Gervonta “Tank” Davis. Berinchyk hope to unify. He believes he has around another three years left in boxing and he sees Davis as not only his biggest threat but the most lucrative option.

“I would like to fight big names, such as Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson,” Berinchyk said.

Then, asked whether he would consider a fight with countryman Lomachenko, should the gifted “Loma” choose to continue his career, Berinchyk said: “This fight would be big only for Ukraine but not the whole boxing world. We have a lot of better names at lightweight than Lomachenko right now.”

Berinchyk does not believe he’s hit a peak. He talks as though the best is still very much to come but he has already accomplished plenty. He was just 12 when he was encouraged to go to the gym for the first time. 

“I was fighting a lot on the streets and my mom brought me into boxing school in order to spend my energy there instead of on the streets,” he explained.

Almost 25 years later, he is on top of the boxing world and will headline a big card at The Theater at MSG.

“It’s the dream of a lot of fighters and now the dream is coming true in such an iconic arena,” he said, somewhat nonchalantly, of boxing in New York.

And while he is motivated to do and achieve more, he is also happy to have reached such a high watermark in his career.

“First of all, it’s emotion [the feeling of fighting],” he said, explaining his enthusiasm to fight on. “It’s the fight itself, then it’s the belts – and the money is important also.”

But is he content with all he has achieved if it was to end tomorrow?

“I’m content for 180 per cent,” he said.