Denys Berinchyk vs Keyshawn Davis Presser Got Personal Real Quick

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Photo Credit: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

If WBO lightweight champ Keyshawn Davis needed anything extra to motivate him for his Friday night fight against Denys Berinchyk, he can thank the box of bananas and watermelon he said were delivered to him Wednesday. At the Wednesday afternoon presser to hype Top Rank’s MSG Theater card, “The Businessman” tore right into Team Berinchyk for the gift basket.

Berinchyk‘s promoter Alex Krassyuk interpreted for the 36-year-old challenger, and dismissed the offering as being from someone wanting attention. Berinchyk then did NOT disavow any “gift box. “The first thing you need to do is make weight,” he said, with Davis noting that is also what the gift basket card read. Emcee Mark Shunock pretty quickly looked to pivot off of the contretemps.

Berinchyk, clad in a hoodie, didn’t react noticeably; he stayed composed. “I’ve been working hard for 25 years to make my dreams come true,” he said. He’s called Davis cocky in the lead-up. Does he think he is on a higher level? “I have 350 fights and wins in amateur. I have more than 500 street fights and one bare-knuckle fight, also victorious,” Berinchyk. “I’ma f*ck you up Friday,” Davis said as he walked toward Berinchyk.

“This is your time, press conference; my time is Friday night,” Bernichyk stated. Keyshawn said nah, not so fast. “First round,” he called out. “I do respect this man, young kid, with great future; probably in a couple years, he will probably be champion of the world,” Berinchyk said. Top Rank executive Carl Moretti said that fish don’t fall into the boat, you gotta get ’em, and he thinks Davis, who, by the way, holds a strap that he earned, is of that mind.

The fighters kept jawing…Berinchyk said, “Ukraine is the most brilliant boxing country,” and predicted a win. To win, Davis said, “You all know what I’m gonna do…I’m an entertainer at the end of the day, but I’m mean,” he noted. He hinted that he’d down Berinchyk and then handle another prominent Ukrainian, Vasiliy Lomachenko.

Those watching the stream saw Davis walk towards Krassyuk at the presser. Nothing flared up beyond words as Davis promised, “I’ma f*ck you up” and repeatedly called him “racist.” Davis was shown entering the building, which is not something I’ve seen in a presser. I liked the energy shift. Berinchyk also said that winning a belt hasn’t changed him, he just keeps working. “War in Ukraine” continues, he said, and that is unfortunate.

My take: Strange stuff. Whatever goodwill he amassed as being a vocal defender of his nation being under attack was offset by the gift basket tomfoolery.

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Zayas Foe Spomer, An Unknown in the US

Co-feature A side Xander Zayas is 20-0, looking to get 21 over one Slawa Spomer (20-0; from Kyrgyzstan, lives in Germany), who has never fought in the States. The 22-year-old Zayas, a Florida-based Puerto Rican, comes off a win over Damian Sosa in September. That was a UD10, the same as in his prior scrap versus Patrick Teixeira.

Zayas told the assembled that he wants people on notice at 154. This is his seventh time at the Theater, he shared. Spomer said, “This is a dream come true. I want to show I belong at the top. To climb to the top, you have to fight the top fighters.” Zayas said he isn’t looking past Spomer, but did say he looks forward to bigger things to come.

Moretti, on stage said that he got a message from a certain someone in the know in Europe who told him that Spomer is more than ready for this test. Upset coming, he was told. We shall see.

Roy Jones Jr. In The House Friday

“Come Friday night, I’m gonna do what I’ve been doing: shut everyone up,” Zayas said. He said he isn’t worried that Roy Jones Jr. will be cornering Spomer. Zayas said fighters have to fight; celeb trainers aren’t all that.

The underdog sounded on Cloud 9, with the opportunity, his corner, being in NYC. Stranger things have happened than the wide-eyed underdog getting his hand raised…but I’d not bet more than a dime on that possibility. Zayas kinda sorta needs a KO to kickstart his prior momentum, I think.

JuanMita Kicks It Off

Kicking things off, Carl Moretti said to emcee Mark Shunock he thinks debuting Juanmita Lopez De Jesus can be a better pro than amateur because of his style. JuanMa’s kid said there’s no place he’d rather debut than in NYC.

Abdullah Mason (age 20; 16-0) said yes, he got knocked down in his last fight, and it reminded him that he needs to fight smart. “I see myself up there with the guys who hold the title at 135,” Mason said. Moretti said seeing Mason go down versus Yohan Vasquez in November and getting up and getting back to business speaks well of him. Manuel Jaimes (16-2-1) is his Friday foe, for the record.

Rohan Polanco, now 14-0, said he had a very intense camp, more so than typical. His coach is Hector Bermudez, who has been helping him refine his pro-style. In the 147 tier, he seeks to keep fighting, winning, and climbing the ranks. Moretti said that he thinks the Dominican Polanco will not be getting called out after Friday.

Vito At Middleweight

Vito Mielnicki (20-1) will fight Connor Coyle (21-0), the Irishman. Vito is a NJ guy; he said he’s quite pleased to be rumbling in NYC. Coyle said some big fights have fallen through, but this one is big. “This is definitely my toughest test to date on paper,” Vito said.

He grabbed a MD in NYC his last time out, at the Theater in September. Vito said, “It wasn’t my greatest night at the office,” but he promised to do and be better Friday. Coyle said he’s been away from his kids for 12 weeks, and the sacrifice will show in his outing. Vito basically promised he would “dominate.” This is his first fight at 160, by the way.

Also fighting: 17-1 heavyweight Jared Anderson, coming in off his first loss as a pro at the heavy hands of Martin Bakole last August. He got stopped in the fifth, and we shall see if there are lingering effects when he meets Marios Kollias, a 12-3-1 Greek man living in Sweden. Harsh but true, you are only as good as your last outing. Anderson has to feel the sting, being that he is way off that headline slot he’d enjoyed a year ago.”The Real Big Baby” is 25 and, maybe, at a career crossroads. The stakes are larger for him than his placement on the card indicates.

Nico Ali Walsh continues his attempted ascent. The grandson the Greatest is 10-1 and has won two straight after losing to 7-1 Sona Akale in 2023. Chicago’s Juan Carlos Guerra is his opponent.

Michael Woods

Michael Woods got addicted to boxing in 1990, when Buster Douglas shocked the world with his demolition of the then-impregnable Mike Tyson. The Brooklyn-based journalist has covered the sport since for ESPN The Magazine, ESPN.com, Bad Left Hook and RING. His journalism career started with NY Newsday in 1999. Michael Woods is also an accomplished blow by blow and color man, having done work for Top Rank, DiBella Entertainment, EPIX, and for Facebook Fightnight Live, since 2017.

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