“A difficult confrontation immediately after returning to the ring”, — write: sport.ua
Ortiz is a good boxer. And that guy who can create problems for the opponent.
Keyshon defeated Berinchik, and then created problems for himself. Now he has changed division At the beginning of 2025, Keyshawn Davis became the first boxer against whom Denys Berinchyk defended his WBO championship belt. Denys became the champion after defeating Emanuel Navarrete, but he could not create problems for Davis – he broke him from the start and knocked him out.
Berinchyk has not entered the ring since the defeat. There were rumors about a bare-knuckle fight and even a title shot. However, as of now, Denys has not yet boxed. As was Keyshawn Davis, although his opposition was planned.
After the victory, the American claimed that he plans not to be outside the ring for a long time and in general wants to fight even 4 times a year. However, in the very first match after winning the belt, he failed.
Davis failed to make weight. And not just for conventional 200 or 300 grams. He so outnumbered his rival Edwin De Los Santos that there was no question of organizing a duel: the match was cancelled.
Later it turned out that Keyshawn did everything at the camp, except for training. The boxer himself talked about the fact that he was always drinking and had psychological problems. For some reason, he was sure that the ring would fix everything. Because it used to be like this: Davis had problems for a long time, but he felt good in the ring. When it was not possible to make weight and hold the same fight, Davis realized that it was time to change something.
Keyshawn took a break and officially moved up to a new weight class. He now plans to fight in the first welterweight division – the same one where Teofimo Lopez will defend his WBO belt against Shakur Stevenson this evening. However, maybe it will go even further – to semi-medium. This will be clear from the results of the meeting against Jemaine Ortiz.
Ortiz, unlike Keyshawn, boxed exceptionally well. His two losses in fights against Vasyl Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez were close enough to count on Jemaine as a serious opponent.
After the defeat by Teofimo, which happened in 2024, Ortiz entered the ring three times – defeating good, but not stellar opponents. During this time, he won two premature victories and one by decision of the judges.
These were not matches against opponents of the level of Keyshawn Davis. However, these were fights that Ortiz entered regularly and in which he invariably won. Unlike the opponent, who struggled with psychological problems and was outside the ring.
At the same time, it cannot be said that Ortiz is now being treated quite seriously. Many perceive him as a boxer who has lost all his top fights, and this is true. And in which the same top battle is ahead.
It’s hard to argue with how talented Keyshawn Davis is. He recently represented Terence Crawford’s team – trained with him in the same gym and with the same coach. The guy is fast, smart and tough. Denys Berinchyk was simply destroyed by the American, and the Ukrainian’s previous opponent, who was much more experienced, definitely lost to Denys. However, talent without practice risks ceasing to be relevant.
Who is the bookies’ favorite? You can bet on the victory of Keyshawn Davis with a coefficient of 1.14. You can bet on the victory of Jemaine Ortiz with a coefficient of 5.00.
The huge gap shows just how much faith Keyshawn has in general. And it is difficult not to do this, considering his recent performances. In addition to quickly knocking out Berinchik, Davis beat Jose Pedrasa and Miguel Madueno, and later Gustavo Lemos. All this was beautiful, and sometimes even spectacular.
Ortiz has had nowhere near that much opposition in recent fights. And he lost to the top. In addition, it is important not to forget how exactly these defeats happened. The match against Lomachenko was not one-sided. It was Jemaine’s defeat, yes. However, he gave a very strong, tight fight to a famous opponent.
The meeting with Teofimo Lopez turned out to be even closer. Many believe that Teofimo minimally lost that fight – they gave such a close confrontation.
Meanwhile, none of Jemaine Ortiz’s top opponents have had the same problems as Keyshawn Davis before. Lomachenko was moving towards the absolute championship and was terribly motivated. However, all he was able to do was win by decision of the judges. Teofimo Lopez had just beaten Josh Taylor and was in stardom given the style in which he beat the Scot. However, I felt a hundred times more problems with Ortiz.
Therefore, it can be more competitive here. Jemaine’s victory is unlikely, but he should give Davis a great fight. Not a beating, not a quick knockout, but a competitive confrontation between two great boxers.
Maybe that’s what Keyshawn needs right now. To mentally return to boxing and be ready for serious challenges.
At the same time, this is a risky step. It is a serious challenge to immediately face a not the most comfortable opponent, who is considered such an outsider that an uncertain victory over him will be immediately perceived negatively. Here you can either get respect from real boxing fans, or fail immediately after returning.
The result will determine if Keyshawn Davis lives up to the level he has set for himself.