Keyshawn Davis is getting his first attempt at a major world title this Friday in the main event of a Top Rank Boxing show against a gritty, seasoned veteran.
I have been a fan of Davis’ for the last several years and he has been steadily improving on each fight. At just 25 years old and bolstering a 12-0 record, both Top Rank and Davis seem to think he is ready for a shot at one of the four major world titles in boxing.
The current WBO holder is 36-year old Denys Berinchyk who won the vacant piece of hardware in a fight against Emanuel Navarrete, a three-division champion who moved up to lightweight to challenge for the vacant title. Navarrete was the undersized opponent and it showed against the slick fighter from Ukraine. Every time Navarrete tried to get momentum going he was shut down by Berinchyk which led to a one-sided decision loss. Berinchyk honestly performed very well staying light on his feet and keeping his volume of punches a good amount to win the exchanges and rounds.
Keyshawn Davis is entering this fight at a pretty high-priced favorite; I have seen numbers ranging from -600 up to -900. It is just a very high number in a fight that I think is a lot closer than his probability of victory is suggesting by the oddsmakers. Davis’ style is much like Shakur’s (they train together and often in the same gym) – he backs up a lot, relying on defense, and heavy on the counters. Though to Davis’ credit, he does get aggressive when he has his opponent hurt and tries to go for the finish. He has great body work to break down his opponents too and has become a fan favorite.
I am getting the idea that some think Berinchyk is just in the way and Davis should just steamroll him and I cannot see that happening. If you are backing Davis here and he does that then credit to you. Berinchyk is going to make Davis work, win rounds, and probably end up a very close decision for whoever is the winner.
I am taking a shot on the defending champion with his experience and making this a tough fight where the young challenger Davis has to dig deep to try and pull it off.
Bet: Denys Berinchyk (+650)
Thanks for reading and best of luck!
