In what should be an excellent showcase, Denys Berinchyk makes the first defense of his WBO lightweight title against Keyshawn Davis later this month in New York City. The champion enters this bout with an impressive 19-0 record with nine knockout victories to his credit. Meanwhile, Davis is of course a talented fighter in his own right who maintains an unblemished record of his own in 12-0. Berinchyk has held the WBO lightweight crown since May of last year and as an amateur, has a slew of accolades to his credit. In this bout, the two undefeated combatants have an opportunity to rocket up the rankings should they emerge victorious in this matchup.
For this article, SBS will be going over what to look for from each of these combatants, along with a selected winner and some additional notes about boxing wagering.
At 25 years of age, Davis is in the prime of his career and an excellent fighter with a dominant amateur background like his opponent. Per his official tale of the tape, the Norfolk, Virginia native won silver medals at the 2019 Pan American Games, the 2019 World Championships, and the 2020 Summer Olympics. In his last fight, Davis faced Gustavo Daniel Lemos at the Scope Arena in his native Norfolk in November. For this bout, the hometown hero knocked down Lemos three times in the second round and won the fight by TKO. By winning this fight, Davis won the vacant IBF Inter-Continental lightweight title.
For Davis’ matchup prior to Lemos, his opponent, Miguel Madueno, took him to the limit but the 25-year-old was still able to secure a unanimous decision victory. With eight overall knockout wins to date out of 12 professional victories, Davis has been hard to slow down for long and is riding a wave of momentum heading into this contest. Thanks to his victory over Madueno, he was able to retain multiple titles, including the IBF-USBA, WBO Inter-Continental, and WBC-USNBC lightweight titles.
In perhaps the only blemish on his pro career, Davis had a majority decision win over Nahir Albright overturned after he tested positive for marijuana from an October 2023 fight. Other than that, it has been hard to find many cracks in his game, with a fantastic current winning streak on his hands and multiple consecutive knockout victories during points in his career.
Another skilled fighter, the champion is an excellent choice in each bout he enters into. Like Davis, he has had an excellent pre-professional career. Noted in one report, as an amateur, he won silver medals in the light-welterweight division at the 2011 World Championships and also the 2012 Summer Olympics. Additionally, he has had success in bare-knuckle fighting and made his professional bare-knuckle debut on July 24, 2021, defeating former UFC Fighter Artem Lobov by TKO. In his last fight, Berinchyk faced off against Emanuel Navarrete for the vacant WBO lightweight title in San Diego in May of last year. The Ukrainian fighter narrowly won the fight by split decision with scores 115-113, 116-112, and 112-116.
Prior to that matchup, Berinchyk had won his three previous fights by way of unanimous decision. This includes wins over Anthony Yigit in Poland and also a victory over Yvan Mendy in England to lock down the European lightweight title. His last stoppage win came back in March 2021 at the Ice Palace Terminal in Ukraine in a fantastic flourish against Jose Sanchez where he also retained the WBO International lightweight title. Per one report, he made quick work of Sanchez, as he won the fight by way of a third-round technical knockout. In total, he made eight different successful title defenses of the WBO International belt and was able to demolish most of the competition. Of course, this matchup against Davis presents a strong challenge in itself as his opponent is perhaps the strongest caliber competition he has faced in some time.
This is a fight that should be closer than many anticipate, but take Davis to score the win here. At 36 years of age, Berinchyk is at the opposite end of his career from Davis and while he has had many awesome matchups, this is Davis’ time to shine in this title matchup. Of course, things could always change given the body of work of the champion, but the youthful advantage should prevail in this explosive bout.
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About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football and basketball across the country. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones. CURRENTLY Business Development and freelance sports writing RESIDES IN Reno, NV EDUCATION University of Nevada BS and MBA EXPERTISE -Sports writing proficiency in: NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and some motor sports -Topical news -Promotional and marketing ideas/updates -Business development Summary Chris Boline serves in a business development sales capacity as his day job. He has previously held sales/marketing positions with The Applied Companies (TAC), KTVN 2 News and the NBA G League’s Reno Bighorns, affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. He is a Reno native and is a member of various community boards including the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET and the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA). Chris graduated from the University of Nevada in 2015 with a bachelors in management and economics and also earned his MBA from Nevada in 2023. More about Chris: Past president of the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA) 2022-23 Two-time honoree for University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year (Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, 2017 & COBAA, 2021) 2021 NCET award for Professional Services Organization of the Year with TAC Northern Nevada Human Resources Association 2020 Best Places to Work-Northern Nevada, Second Place with TAC 2016-17 Reno Bighorns MVP from the Sacramento Kings The Nevada Sagebrush editor-in-chief 2013-15 Associated Collegiate Press 2015 Four-year Non-daily Newspaper Pacemaker honoree University of Nevada, Reno College of Business Dean's List honoree (5x) from 2011-2015 Nevada Press Association award for Best Sports Column – Community in 2015 Education
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