NEW YORK, NY (WTKR)- It's been a whirlwind for Keyshawn Davis. The newly-crowned WBO lightweight champion of the world is less than a week into his reign and the reality of his accomplishment is settling in.
"It feels good," Davis told WTKR News 3 Tuesday. "It's a lot more big things to talk about. A lot more interviews, a lot more Zoom calls, podcasts, more people want to get to know who Keyshawn really is and I have no problem opening up and letting them know my testimony."
Davis, "The Businessman" in the ring, knocked out Denys Berinchyk in the fourth round of their title fight Friday night at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, claiming his first world championship. He also kept his professional record perfect at 13-0 and picked up his ninth career knockout. It followed up his second round KO of Gustavo Lemos in Norfolk back on November 8 and Davis said he's looking like the star that people expected him to become.
The Norfolk native enters all of his fights confident, but says it didn't take long for him to realize that he had his opponent on the ropes Friday night.
"I would say like the second round," Davis said of when he thought he had Berinchyk. "His nose started bleeding really, really bad, and also I hit him with a hook. Right after I hit him with the hook, I looked at the spot where I hit him and he had a mark on his eye, so I was like 'yeah, he's breaking down.'"
Commentators continued to describe Berinchyk's fighting style as "awkward," but Davis noted his trainer continued to remind him not to try to rush things and stay calm in the ring. He said he became more comfortable as the fight progressed and was able to settle into handling his opponent's different techniques.
The week leading up to the fight featured plenty of fireworks. During Wednesday's pre-fight press conference, Davis indicated that a package had been sent to his room containing a watermelon and bananas, along with a note, a gesture he took at racist. The following day's weigh-in saw Berinchyk push the Norfolk native from behind during the photo opportunity. Davis said that was the first time anyone had put hands on him during a pre-fight event, but looking back, he misses the fanfare and the hype that led up to his first world title.
"I was mad at a lot of the things that happened in the moment," he said. "Now that it's all over, I get to look back at it and I'm like, 'dang, it's over,' and I kind of miss the fight week. There were a lot of antics that were going on leading up to the fight and it was just a fun event overall."
It's hard to get to the top, but even harder to stay there. Keyshawn Davis has arrived at the top of the mountain and welcomes the bigger target that comes with it with open arms. He remembers being the young fighter hoping to take on the champions and now he'll face those who have the same eagerness to climb in the ring with him.
"Now that I'm at the top and I'm a champion, I've got to keep that same energy for the guys who want to fight me," he pointed out. "Even when I was a kid coming up in the sport talking trash, I had to embrace all the fans, all the negative criticism and the champions talking back at me. Now that I am a champion, I've got to take everything that comes with this throne."
It was a special night, not only for Keyshawn, but for his younger brother, Keon, as well. The younger Davis improved to 2-0 in his young professional career with a knockout of Ira Johnson. It was the perfect lead-up to the world championship bout.
"He definitely introduced himself to the boxing world," Keyshawn said of Keon's performance. "People are definitely paying attention to Keon Davis now."
Kelvin Davis will be the next member of DB3 to hit the ring. The elder Davis brother will fight on March 8 in Los Angeles.
