Today, Keyshawn Davis said on social media that he will be “incredibly strong” February 14 when he fights next. Davis (12-0, 8 KOs) is expected to take on Dennis Berinchik for the WBO lightweight title at Madison Square Garden’s Hula Theater in New York.
Davis isn’t saying how he’ll be stronger because he’s not known as a puncher. He’s more of a boxer, and the guys he knocked out were mostly middle-of-the-road fighters. What Keyshawn is, Berinchik has too much talent for Davis to overcome, so it’s foolish for him to focus on that angle to win this fight. Berinchik has defeated many strong fighters over the years in the amateur ranks.
Kishon decided not to fight his friend, WBC Lightweight Champion Shakur Stevenson for the belt because he didn’t want to fight him. He believes he will defeat Berinchik (19-0, 9 KOs) to win his WBO belt and then use the title to fight Gervonta Davis and Vasily Lomachenko. It sounds like a pipe dream.
The stuff that Keishavn comes up with sounds like some wacky daydream with no chance of ever happening in his career and is completely unattainable. He doesn’t even try to position himself through the logical steps to fight Tank or Loma by beating Andy Cruz or Edwin De Los Santos. He believes that after beating Berinchik, those popular stars will want to fight him. Struggles will come to him like gravity, pushing them into his lap without taking any risks.
If Keyshawn gets his hands on the WBO belt, he’ll defend it against any little-known contender Top Rank can dig up for him, but it won’t be Tank or Loma. That doesn’t happen.
Backdoor champion
Those guys won’t fight Davis, but it’s not because they’re afraid of him. Both are coming out of retirement and will focus on popular fighters that casual boxing fans have heard of. Keyshon is completely unknown to casual people.
Davis, an Olympic silver medalist at the 2020 Olympics, has accelerated to a top ranking that has moved him into a title shot without being able to advance, fighting any of the top contenders in the lightweight division, such as Andy Cruz or Edwin De Los Santos. It is referred to as ‘backdoor method which promoters use for fighters they don’t want to take a chance on.
If they believed in Keyshawn, they would have tested him against Cruz and De Los Santos. They obviously know what could happen to Davis if he were to fight either of those two talents, and it wouldn’t be good for him. It would be a repeat of Kishon’s victory at the 2020 Olympics.
The next time I’m in that ring, I’m going to be incredibly strong.💪🏾 #feb14th⭐
— Keishavn Davis (@KeishavnDavis8) January 3, 2025