From the theater at MSG– After a very awkward first three rounds filled with holding and grappling, Keyshawn Davis crumbled Denys Berinchyk with a pair of body shots to become the new WBO lightweight champion.
Early on, Berinchyk’s footwork and herky-jerk rhythm seemed to bother Davis, but as the third round progressed and Davis landed a body shot that dropped Berinchyk, it became apparent that he was finding his rhythm, delivering the final blows in the fourth.
It was a heated fight week, highlighted by Davis (13-0, 9 ko) receiving a hateful and racist package to his hotel room the night before the final press conference, which he believed came from team Berinchyk, who have denied it. The question was, whether it was true or not that the package was from someone on Berinkchyk’s team, could Davis keep control of his emotions in the face of such a hateful act and deliver a championship performance? Clearly, no problems there, as Davis kept his composure against an olympian with an awkward style and dropped the bomb when the moment was right.
Berinchyk (19-1, 9 ko) was a legitimate champion coming off a career defining win over Emanuel Navarrete, and Davis made him look like a beginner, an entirely different level, too fast, too sharp, too big and too talented. He is officially a champion in the lightweight division, a standout and a star perhaps only surpassed at the moment by Gervonta Davis and Shaker Stevenson, who I would love to see him in with. But there’s a ton of talent behind him, from Raymond Muratalla, William Zepeda, the great Vasiliy Lomachenko should he continue fighting, the fast rising Abdullah Mason. It would be difficult to favor any of those tremendous fighters to beat Davis at the moment, but now with a belt, it may entice some of those names to get in the ring with him to create some of the best fights in boxing. The lightweight division is in good hands.
Zayas Dominates, Stops Spomer in 9th
In a solid outting, Xander’s Zayas dominated Slawa Spomer over the course of nine rounds, punctuating it with a stoppage to the body.
Spomer (20-1, 11 ko), who is trained by Roy Jones Jr. had his moments but was not able to match the tempo, timing and footwork that the younger fighter brought. Zayas (21-0, 13 ko) is now the mandatory for WBO jr. middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora, who is scheduled to fight Chordale Booker March 22nd. At just 22 years old, he seems to be creeping up on his opportunity
His skills are the real deal. Mature beyond his years, he does basically everything well, and though he may not be the most devastating puncher, he has the ability to give a cumulative beating which ultimately led to the stoppage in this one. But he still has young-gun lapses where less talented fighters like Spomer are able to catch him in between punches or standing in front. Those moments of vulnerability, which were ultimately inconsequential against Spomer, could be more costly as he moves up in competition.
Mielnicki, Coyle Deliver Shootout in Majority Draw
In perhaps the fight of the night, 22 year old New Jersey native Vito Mielnicki (20-1-1, 12 ko) fought 34 year old Irish amateur standout Connor Coyle (21-0-1, 9 ko) to a majority draw. ITRBoxing scored the fight 96-94 for Mielnicki in a fight with multiple swing rounds.
Mielnicki came out strong, establishing dominance over the center of the ring and backing Coyle up with a sharp power jab and hard body shots. But Coyle took to his front foot in the third and fourth, landing hard uppercuts and fast combinations, reversing the momentum of the fight entirely. The two would go back and fourth for the remainder of the fight in a high paced action affair, with a draw seeming like a fair result. Coyle has had multiple big fights cancelled in recent years, starting with his fight with Felix Cash on the undercard of Benn vs Eubank that was cancelled after Connor Benn had a positive drug test in the lead up, which led to the cancellation of the card entirely. Then in the lead up to his fight with Ammo Williams last year he suffered an elbow injury in training. It was good to finally see him in a big fight, and I wouldn’t mind seeing these two run it back. Mielnicki for his part looked more explosive in his middleweight debut than in his last fight, and at only 22 is still very much a work in progress. He just may not be as quite far along in his development as Mason and Zayas.
Also On The Card…
- Juanmita Lopez, the son of Puerto Rican champion of Juanma Lopez made his pro debut in front the same New York crowd that came out to watch is pops so many times. In fact, the first fight I ever went to was Miguel Cotto vs Paulie Malignaggi, and Lopez was on the undercard. Like his father, Juanmita looks supremely talented and packs a punch. But unlike his dad, he lacks the reckless aggression that both made his father one of the most exciting fighters in boxing and also at times very vulnerable. He’s a bit more calculated, though we’ll see how that plays out as he moves up in competition. Just 19, he’ll be a fun one to watch develop.
- The young phenom Abdullah Mason (17-0, 15 ko), just 20 years old, continued his fast rise to the top of the lightweight division with a fourth round stoppage of a very game Manuel Jaimes. Jaimes (16-3-1, 11 ko) came to fight but was severely outgunned, and after getting dropped in every round but the first and getting dropped twice in the fourth, the referee stopped the fight with Jaimes flat on his back. Mason is truly something to watch, so poised and dynamic at such a young age. He’s fast, unpredictable, and can fight effectively at any range. To top it all off, his power is the real deal, handing Jaimes his first stoppage loss after going a full ten with lightweight puncher Rolly Romero. He wants a title shot, and he wants it soon, perhaps a byproduct of going pro so young. But Mason is passing every test with flying colors, wowing at every step, and though he may be a few fights away from a title shot, he may not be too far off either.
- Fighting his most experienced opponent today, DR’s Rohan Polanco (15-0, 10 ko) made quick work of Jean Carlos Torres (22-2, 17 ko) in a two round demolition. Polanco caught Torres early with a short left hook to the top of the head and Torres never recovered. From then on Polanco unloaded the arsenal with an explosive variety of punches, ultimately, forcing the referee to stop the fight. Polanco is a problem at welterweight and beyond, both an explosive power puncher and a thoughtful defender who can sit in the pocket without taking punishment. Hard to believe he ever made 140.
- Keon Davis (2-0, 1 ko) made quick work of Ira Johnson with a second round knockout in his second pro fight. The brother of Keyshawn, Keon is a tall, rangy and explosive welterweight with a lot of potential to have success in multiple divisions with his height and frame. Looking forward to see how he develops.
- Despite having an abundance of talent and ability and winning every single round, Jared Anderson (18-1, 15 ko) struggled mightily in a decision win over Marios Kollias (12-4-1, 10 ko), nearly getting stopped in the final seconds of the fight, consistently getting hit with big shots and showing no interest in being in the ring for the entire 10 rounds. After the first round Anderson cut off Prenice Brewer’s instructions to tell him “he’s tough. I don’t wanna go 10 rounds.” He later told Brewer that he “hated hitting elbows” after Brewer asked him to throw to the body, and at the end of the sixth when Brewer asked how he was feeling he said “like shit”. There’s no question about Jared Anderson‘s talent and ability, or even his fighters character, which he showed it in this one by gritting out a decision while clearly lacking in conditioning. But it didn’t look he like enjoyed any part of it, and ultimately how much success he’s going to have in boxing depends on his level of interest, which at the moment seems close to none. He left the ring immediately after the announcement of the decision, and as a fan if Jared isn’t taking the sport seriously, it becomes difficult to in turn take him seriously as a contender.
- In the card opener one Juan Carlos Guerra (6-1-1, 2 ko) won a split decision over Nico Ali Walsh by scores of 58-56 (twice) and 56-58. ITR boxing scored the fight 57–57. Ali Walsh (10-2, 1 NC, 5 ko) the grandson of Muhammad Ali, seemed to land the better harder shots throughout the fight, but it was Guerra who was often out hustling Ali Walsh, pushing him back and letting go of combinations on the ropes. Ali Walsh would make him miss at times, but did not answer consistently enough to win many of the exchanges. Ali Walsh has been a work in progress from the start, and it looks like it’s back to the drawing board.