NEW YORK, NY (WTKR)- There's no question that Keyshawn Davis knows how to win. He's triumphed every time he's taken the ring as a pro thus far.
With a win Friday, the Norfolk native would climb another rung up the ladder and experience a title like he never has before.
Davis will take the ring at the Theater at Madison Square Garden to face Denys Berinchyk for the WBO lightweight world title Friday night. It will mark his first world championship bout as he looks to dethrone Berinchyk and remain undefeated. For Davis, it's just the next step in his journey up the boxing ranks.
"It was like, 'damn, I want to see this kid fight again, I want to see this prospect fight again, I want to see this contender fight again,'" Davis told News 3 during an interview last month. "Now I might be a champ, so it's really the same thing. Berinchyk's a great fighter, but I just feel like I'm the best at 135 (lbs) and I've been saying that for some time now and I'm just here to prove it."
The Norfolk native enters Friday's fight with a perfect 12-0 record and eight knockouts to his name. The latest came on November 8 during his highly-anticipated main event at the Scope, when he took down Gustavo Lemos in the second round in front of a sold-out crowd. That was a week that still sticks with Davis and his family as they put on a show for their home town.
"I still miss it, honestly, I miss it," he smiled. "I've never experienced nothing like that in anybody else's fight week and I'm just happy I got to experience for mine."
The next hurdle for Davis is Berinchyk, who also enters undefeated. The reigning lightweight champion is 19-0 (9 KO) and claimed the title last May with a split decision over Emanuel Navarrette. Davis, known as "The Businessman" in the ring, will climb through the ropes approaching the bout like he does any fight night.
"It's a world title fight and this is going to be something tremendous, big accomplishment for me," he noted. "But at the end of the day, it's a fight. It's a fight that I've been fighting all my life. It's a fight at the end of the day and I'm going to go in there and I'm going to perform how I've been performing."
Davis spoke with Top Rank following a recent training session and says Friday's opponent will present him with some new challenges, but added that fans can expect a show.
“I’ve never fought his style of boxing as a professional," he told Top Rank. "It’s something new to me in professional boxing, but if you liked my last fight, you’ll be in for the same treat, a magnificent performance, a hell of a showdown, and something you can’t miss.”
He also knows that a win will put him in a different category, one that will have every fighter at his weight gunning for his belt. First, he has to take it from Berinchyk, but he's well aware of what that victory would mean.
“I can only think about my world title," he said. "Depending on how crazy I knock Berinchyk out, I’m going to be one of those big names that people are going to want to get in the ring with. I’d be putting myself down if I talk about fighting ‘big names’ because I can become one of those big names on February 14.”
Both Davis and Berinchyk found Olympic success during their amateur days. Davis was a silver medalist during the 2021 Tokyo Summer Games, while his Friday opponent also took home silver during the 2012 London games.
Joining Keyshawn on the card is younger brother Keon. He picked up a win in his professional debut back in November at the Scope and will take on Ira Johnson Friday night in an undercard. Johnson is 3-2 with two knockouts.
Coverage of Friday night's fight begins at 9:00 PM on ESPN.
