Next-Gen Champ: Keyshawn Davis’ Title Victory

On Valentine’s Day inside The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Keyshawn Davis (13-0, 9 KO, 1 NC) earned a gift he has worked for his entire life: world championship gold. A few weeks before his 26th birthday, Davis won the WBO lightweight championship by knocking out the previously unbeaten Denys Berinchyk (19-1, 9 KO) in the fourth round.

When Davis landed a vicious left hook to the body in round four, Berinchyk could not beat the referee’s ten count. The knockout came at the 1:45 mark of the fourth round. Davis had knocked Berinchyk down earlier with a body shot in the third round.

Keyshawn Davis won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics. He debuted professionally in February 2021 on the undercard of a Canelo Álvarez fight. Four years later, Davis exhibited the skills that had many touting him as a future champion as he came up through the amateur ranks.

Following the fight, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum called Keyshawn Davis a sensational young fighter. Arum added, “You saw the future of boxing tonight here in New York City.”

Even as a 6-to-1 underdog coming into the fight, Denis Berinchyk was no tomato can. The 35-year-old Ukranian is a talented fighter who earned the championship by defeating two-division world champion Emmanuel Navarette last year. But Keyshawn Davis overwhelmed Berinchyk. Davis’s combination of speed, technique, and precision punching was too much for Berinchyk.

Keyshawn Davis became the first boxer from Norfolk, Virginia, to win a world championship since Hall of Famer Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker. And Keyshawn is one of three Davis brothers who are pro boxers.

The oldest of the three, Kelvin, 28, is a southpaw in the welterweight division. Keon, 23, the youngest of the three brothers, made his professional debut in November and earned his second victory in as many fights Friday on his brother’s undercard. Standing at a lanky 6 foot 3 inches tall, Keon fought at a catchweight of 150 pounds. In an interview with Mark Kriegel of ESPN last year, Keyshawn said he has always told Keon that he had the potential to be the best fighter out of the three.

Keyshawn Davis is now one of four champions in an intriguing lightweight division. Vasiliy Lomachenko holds the IBF championship, Gervonta “Tank” Davis holds the WBA championship, and Shakur Stevenson holds the WBC championship (William Zepeda holds an interim version of the WBC lightweight championship).

So what comes next for the new champion? Davis had called out Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz and Gervonta Davis. Other matchups that could make sense for Keyshawn Davis are Vasily Lomachenko or William Zepeda.

Some view Cuban Andy Cruz as the skeleton in Keyshawn Davis’s closet. Cruz defeated Davis four times in the amateur ranks, including in the gold medal match at the recent Tokyo Olympics. Amateur and professional boxing are different animals, but beating someone four times is beating someone four times. Davis vs. Cruz could be a fight for a few years down the road after Cruz establishes himself in the pro ranks.

Davis trains with Brian “Bomac” McIntyre, who also trains Terence Crawford and Shakur Stevenson, among others. Keyshawn is making good on expectations many observers had for his career. Having all the attributes to become a superstar is one thing; putting them together and actualizing that potential into results is another.

An interesting wrinkle on Keyshawn Davis’s road to unifying the lightweight division is his relationship with fellow 135-pound champion and stablemate Shakur Stevenson. Davis has never entertained a potential fight between himself and Shakur Stevenson. Davis told talkSport: “No, I’d never fight him. It’s definitely deeper. His mum is DMing me all the time. I’m about to spar his brother today, I know his entire family. I even know his sisters. I’ve known Shakur almost his entire life. I know his cousins. I know his whole entire family so it is not even all about Shakur.” It is admirable that even at a young age, Davis recognizes some things are more important than boxing.

Whatever comes next for Keyshawn Davis, he will be a force to be reckoned with in boxing for years to come.