Today, Keyshawn Davis said on social media that he will be “unbelievably strong” on February 14th when he fights next. Davis (12-0, 8 KOs) is expected to challenge Denys Berinchyk next for his WBO lightweight title at Madison Square Garden’s Hula Theater in New York.
Davis doesn’t say how he’ll be stronger because he’s not known as a puncher. He’s more of a boxer, and the guys he’s knocked out have mostly been middle-of-the-road fighters. Berinchyk has too much talent to be overpowered by Davis, so it’s dumb for him to focus on that angle to win this fight. Berinchyk has beaten plenty of strong fighters during his many years in the amateur ranks.
Keyshawn chose not to take on his friend, WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson, for his belt because he didn’t want to fight him. He believes he’ll defeat Berinchyk (19-0, 9 KOs) to capture his WBO belt and then use the title to get fights against Gervonta Davis and Vasily Lomachenko. It sounds like a pipe dream.
If Keyshawn does get his hands on the WBO belt, he’ll defend it against whatever little-known contender Top Rank can dig up for him, but it won’t be Tank or Loma. That ain’t happening.
The Backdoor Champion
Those guys aren’t going to fight Davis, but it’s not because they’re afraid of him. They’re both heading for retirement and will focus on popular fighters that casual boxing fans have heard of. Keyshawn is completely unknown to the casuals.
Top Rank was fast-tracked by the 2020 Olympic silver medalist, Davis, who moved him into a title shot without having him work his way there, fighting any top contenders at lightweight, like Andy Cruz or Edwin De Los Santos. It’s referred to as the ‘Backdoor method’ that promoters use for fighters they don’t want to take risks with.
If they believed in Keyshawn, they’d have tested him against Cruz and De Los Santos. They obviously know what could happen to Davis if he fought either of those two talents, and it wouldn’t be good for him. It would be a replay of Keyshawn getting beaten in the 2020 Olympics.
Next time I’m in that ring, I’m going to be unbelievably strong.💪🏾 #feb14th⭐️
— Keyshawn Davis (@KeyshawnDavis8) January 3, 2025
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