Photo Credit: Mikey Williams/Top Rank
NEW YORK CITY (Feb. 12, 2025) — Keyshawn Davis is on the verge of the biggest moment of his career.
Davis (12-0, 8 KOs) will challenge Denys Berinchyk (19-0, 9 KOs) for the WBO lightweight world title this Friday, Feb. 14, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. The 25-year-old gets his first shot at world title glory against a fellow Olympic silver medalist determined to hold onto his crown.
The fight took on a deeply personal turn during Thursday’s press conference after Davis accused Berinchyk of delivering a box of bananas and a watermelon to his room, an act he deemed racist, while Berinchyk dismissed the claim as a manufactured controversy.
In the 10-round junior middleweight co-feature, Puerto Rican contender Xander Zayas (20-0, 12 KOs) looks to defend his WBO No. 1 ranking against fellow unbeaten Slawa Spomer (20-0, 11 KOs).
New Jersey-born middleweight Vito Mielnicki Jr. (20-1, 12 KOs) kicks off the broadcast in a 10-round showdown against world-ranked Irishman Connor Coyle (21-0, 9 KOs).
Berinchyk-Davis, Zayas-Spomer, and Mielnicki-Coyle will be broadcast LIVE on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
The ESPN+-streamed undercard begins at 5:15 p.m. ET/2:15 p.m. PT and features the pro debut of second-generation Puerto Rican star Juanmita Lopez De Jesus, son of former two-weight world champion Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez, in a four-round junior bantamweight tilt against Bryan Santiago (1-1-1, 1 KO).
Undefeated lightweight southpaw Abdullah Mason (16-0, 14 KOs) takes on Manuel Jaimes (16-2-1, 11 KOs) in an eight-rounder, while Dominican Olympian Rohan Polanco (14-0, 9 KOs) looks to edge closer to a title shot in a 10-round welterweight clash against Jean Carlos Torres (22-1, 17 KOs).
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with K2 Promotions and Queensberry Promotions, tickets are on sale via Ticketmaster.com.
This is what the fighters said at Wednesday’s press conference:
Denys Berinchyk
“I don’t speak English, and I don’t write English. I saw his message on social media. It’s weird even to mention this. Some people with bad intentions looking for some hype made that.”
“The first thing you need to do is make weight. And afterward, on Friday, we’re going to sort it out.”
“Since winning my title, I’ve been training the entire time. And I was preparing for this defense. Nothing changed too much in my life. We have a war in Ukraine. So, unfortunately, my life didn’t change much.”
“I never imagined myself fighting here. But I’ve been working hard for 25 years to make my dream come true and accomplish this assignment.”
“I have 355 amateur fights. I have more than 500 victorious street fights. I have one bare-knuckle fight that was also victorious.”
Keyshawn Davis
“I want to address the fact that this guy came to America to give me bananas and a watermelon with a note on it. It’s unprofessional, and I feel like it’s racist. And you just made this fight a little more personal. This man brought a box of bananas and a watermelon to America to bring to my room. I took it as racist. So, I got something for you.”
“Ya’ll did it. It’s OK that ya’ll did it. I’m going to whoop your ass for it. Just know what’s coming Friday night.”
“It’s a real blessing. When he called my name out after he won his last fight, I had a feeling in my spirit that I was going to fight him for the world championship. I never thought it would be at Madison Square Garden.”
“You’re not tougher than me. You can talk about all that bare-knuckle stuff. I come from what I come from. I’ve been doing this bare-knuckle s**t outside the ring. So, all that s**t you’re talking about, I don’t care. I’m going to f**k you up this Friday.
I don’t care about none of your experience or amateur experience. I don’t care about your silver medal. I don’t even care about your watch, your belt, or any of that. I’m going to f**k you up on Friday.”
Xander Zayas
“I feel amazing. Fight No. 7 here at the ‘Mecca of Boxing.’ New York is like a second home now. I’m excited to put on a show for the fans once again and to put the 154-pound weight class on notice. I’m coming for the world title next.”
“This means the world to me. He’s ranked at No. 11 in the WBO for a reason. He’s 20-0 for a reason. He has good victories behind him. But I’m looking forward to becoming 21-0 on Friday night and to the great opportunities coming next in 2025.”
“I’ve been here since Saturday. We had 10 weeks of training camp. I’m one step away from the main goal. I have to beat him to get there, so I’m going to prove that I belong at the elite level.”
Slawa Spomer
“I want to show that I belong at the top. Xander is also a top boxer, and I want to climb to the top. In order to get there, you have to fight the best fighters in the world. That’s why I’m here.”
“Camp with Roy Jones Jr. was amazing. So, two dreams have come true. One was to fight at Madison Square Garden, and the other was to prepare with Roy Jones Jr. The preparation and camp were very good. I’ve been in the game long, so I didn’t need to learn the basics. But now, I see different things because of what Roy has taught me. So, I’m proud of that opportunity.”
Vito Mielnicki Jr.
“This is exciting. I’m fighting on the main card on ESPN, which is another great opportunity. I feel blessed to be in this position.”
“The goal is to keep climbing and fighting better opposition. This is definitely my toughest to date on paper. And I’m just excited to show what I’ve been working on and how I’ve grown as a fighter. I’m going to put on a dominating performance on Friday.”
“This is everything I’ve dreamt of as a kid. This is everything I’ve ever wanted. So we’re going to take advantage of this opportunity.”
Connor Coyle
“I’ve been looking for big fights. But I never got them. It’s not like I was ducking or dodging people. I’ve just had to fight whoever was put in front of me.”
“I believe this is my opportunity now, and I’m happy this is at MSG.”
“You’ll see the best version of me. I spent 12 weeks in total away from my kids and family. It was the best camp I’ve had, mentally and physically. I’ve had the best sparring. And this is my opportunity, so I have to grab it with both hands.”
Rohan Polanco
“I’ve moved up in weight, so this camp was more intense, and I did more weight training. The sparring was intense, too. But for this fight, I feel very good. I have a lot of experience. I know that my opponent has a lot of experience as well. I think that with my boxing skills, I will walk away victorious.”
“My trainer, Hector Bermudez, is very intelligent. He is always teaching me how to adapt to professional boxing because I had such a long career as an amateur. We have meshed well, and I believe it was a great decision for my career to have chosen him.”
“The plan is to keep winning so I can keep positioning myself until I get a world title opportunity. That is what we are looking for.”
Abdullah Mason
“From my last fight, I learned to fight smart and make sure I listen to my corner. Every time I’m tuned into them, the easier the fight is. I did get up and do exceptionally well, but I need to fight smart.”
“I see myself up there with the guys who hold the titles. Skill-wise, I feel like I’m able to hold my own in one of those fights and come out on top. But we’re proving ourselves, and we’ll keep taking those steps forward. Hopefully, we grab a smaller title later this year.”
Juanmita Lopez de Jesus
“I want to make my people in Puerto Rico proud, so I’m going to show what I’m made of and what I bring to the table. This is definitely a different experience. I’ve never had this kind of attention before, so I’m very excited.”
