Keyshawn Davis is getting his first shot at a world championship belt on Friday, not to mention a chance to prove he actually deserves it.
The WBO lightweight title will be at stake when Davis (12-0, 8 KOs) fights Ukraine’s Denys Berinchyk (19-0, 9 KOs) on Friday in a lightweight bout. While Davis is ranked as the WBO’s No. 1 contender, he failed to crack the Top 15 in the most recent rankings from the three other major sanctioning bodies – WBC, WBA and WBO.
A showdown with Berinchyk clearly is the easiest path to a world title in a division stacked with notable champions: Gervonta Davis (WBA), Shakur Stevenson (WBC) and Vasiliy Lomachenko (IBF). But it still could prove to be a challenging path in a bout pitting youth vs. experience.
Both fighters won Olympic silver medals. That’s where the similarities end.
At 25, Davis has shown speed and power and is coming off a second-round knockout of Gustavo Lemos. At 36, Berinchyk has shown savvy cultivated in part during a long amateur career and in his last bout beat Emanuel Navarette for the WBO lightweight championship belt.
He carried it over his right shoulder to a press conference this week.
“That’s my belt,’’ Davis declared.
We’ll soon see.
Keyshawn Davis vs. Denys Berinchyk time
The undercard starts at 5 p.m. ET. The three-fight main card is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. ET
Where is Keyshawn Davis vs. Denys Berinchyk fight?
The WBO lightweight title fight will get underway at the famed Madison Square Garden in New York.
How to watch Keyshawn Davis vs. Denys Berinchyk fight
The undercard will be streamed on ESPN+. The main card will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN+.
Watch Keyshawn Davis vs. Denys Berinchyk boxing with ESPN+
Keyshawn Davis vs. Denys Berinchyk card start time
Prelims: 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT (ESPN+)
Main card: 9 p.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT (PPV on ESPN+)
Keyshawn Davis vs. Denys Berinchyk fight card
Main Card
Keyshawn Davis vs. Denys Berinchyk, lightweight, for WBO lightweight title
Xander Zayas vs. Slawa Spomer, middleweight
Vito Mielnicki Jr. vs. Connor Coyle, middleweight
Prelims
Juanmita Lopez De Jesus vs. Bryan Santiago, junior bantamweight
Abdullah Mason vs. Manuel Jaimes, lightweight
Rohan Polanco vs. Jean Carlos Torres, welterweight
Keon Davis vs. Ira Johnson, welterweight
Jared Anderson vs. Marios Kollias, heavyweight
Tiger Johnson vs. Quashawn Toler, welterweight
Nico Ali Walsh vs. Juan Guerra Jr., middleweight
Keyshawn Davis vs. Denys Berinchyk fight odds
All available odds are for moneyline bets (as of Thursday), according to BetMGM.
Main Card
Keyshawn Davis (-600) vs. Denys Berinchyk (+350)
Vito Mielnicki Jr. (-400) vs. Connor Coyle (+275)
Prelims
Abdullah Mason (-1200) vs. Manuel Jaimes (+750)
Jared Anderson (-2500) vs. Marios Kollias (+800)
Nico Ali Walsh (-1200) vs. Juan Guerra Jr. (+600)
Keyshawn Davis vs. Denys Berinchyk predictions:
CBS Sports: Davis by unanimous decision.
Brent Brookhouse writes, ‘Berinchyk may find a bit of early success before Davis’ jab starts to dictate how the fight plays out. Once Davis gets rolling, he should fully take over the fight but Berinchyk is likely too crafty to get stopped before the final bell.’
Clutch Points: Davis by decision
Jaren Kawada writes, ‘Davis is coming off an early knockout, one that has him convinced he will do the same to Berinchyk. His power and precision make that possible, but it would certainly be quite a shock.’
Sportskeeda: Berinchyk by decision
Ricardo Viagem writes that Davis is ‘powerful and technical, but can fall into the trap of relying too much on his toughness whenever he finds himself in exchanges. He also has a tendency to be flat-footed.’
Keyshawn Davis vs. Denys Berinchyk live stream
The prelims and fight will be available for live stream on ESPN+.
Keyshawn Davis vs. Denys Berinchyk price
UFC events are available to ESPN+ subscribers for $119.99 for the entire year. You can also purchase a monthly subscription of ESPN+ for $11.99.
Keyshawn Davis vs. Denys Berinchyk tickets
Tickets listed on StubHub Thursday ranged in price from $86 to $565.
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