WBO lightweight champion Denys Berinchyk fights #1 ranked Keyshawn Davis tonight in the headliner at Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City. Berinchyk-Davis main card starts at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 pm PT on ESPN and ESPN+.
Tonight’s Undercard Results
Middleweights Vito Mielnicki Jr (20-1-1, 12 KOs) and Connor Coyle (21-0-1, 9 KOs) battled to a questionable 10-round draw in the first fight on the main card. Coyle landed the cleaner, harder shots in every round and looked like he’d done enough to deserve the win. The scores were 96-94 for Mielnicki Jr, 95-95 and 95-95.
Lightweight contender Abdullah Mason (17-0, 15 KOs) put in the performance of the night, knocking down the game Manuel Jaimes (16-3-1, 11 KOs) four times en route to a fourth-round technical knockout. The time was at 1:55 of the fourth. Jaimes hit the deck in rounds two, three, and twice in the fourth. After the fight, Mason said his focus is on fighting for a world title.
Unbeaten welterweight prospect Rohan Polanco (15-0, 10 KOs) made short work of Jean Carlos Torres (22-2, 17 KOs), knocking him out in the second round. Polanco dropped Torres once in rounds one and two. The referee stepped in and stopped the fight after Torres was staggered by a combination from Polanco in the second. The time of the stoppage was at the 1:40 mark.
Welterweight prospect Keon Davis (2-0, 1 KO) looked like gold tonight, scoring a second-round KO of Ira Johnson (3-3, 2 KOs). Keon, 23, knocked Johndown twice with big shots in the second round. The referee then counted him out. The time of the stoppage was at 1:38 of round two.
Heavyweight Jared Anderson (17-1, 15 KOs) boxed his way to a 10-round unanimous decision win against Marios Kollias (12-4-1, 10 KOs) in a confidence booster. Surprisingly, Kollias had Anderson on the verge of being knocked out in the final seconds of round ten. The bell saved the 25-year-old Anderson from being knocked out. Earlier in the round, a tired-looking Jared had thrown Kollias to the canvas using a wrestling move in what appeared to be done to buy himself some time to rest. The judges’ scores were 99-91, 99-91 and 98-92.
Middleweight Juan Carlos Guerra Jr (6-1-1, 2 KOs) defeated Nico Ali Walsh (10-2, 5 KOs) by a six-round split decision. Walsh made a mistake of moving throughout the six-round fight, allowing Guerra Jr. to follow him and load up on big shots. Walsh lacked power due to his movement. It looked like he was afraid to stand his ground and fight, even though he faced a non-puncher. The judges’ scores were 58-56, 58-56 for Guerra Jr., and 58-56 for Walsh.
—
Keyshawn (12-0, 8 KOs) will fight for his first world title after four years as a pro, and fans can see whether he’s the next mega-star for Top Rank. Although Berinchyk (19-0, 9 KOs) is technically the champion, he’s the B-side in this fight.
The main card at 9 pm ET on ESPN & ESPN+
Denys Berinchyk vs. Keyshawn Davis
Xander Zayas vs. Slawa Spomer
Vito Mielnicki Jr vs. Connor Coyle
In the co-feature, #1 WBO junior middleweight contender Xander Zayas (20-0, 12 KOs) will try to hold onto his top spot in the rankings against the undefeated Slawa Spomer (20-0, 11 KOs) in a 10-rounder.
The guy who arguably has the best future on the entire card tonight is lightweight contender Abdullah Mason (16-0, 14 KOs), who fights Manuel Jaimes (16-2-1, 11 KOs) in an eight-rounder. Mason looks like more of a sure-thing future star than Keyshawn Davis, but Top Rank is holding him back because he’s only 20.
Prelims at 5:15 p.m. ET on ESPN+
Juanmita Lopez De Jesus vs. Bryan Santiago
Abdullah Mason vs. Manuel Jaimes
Rohan Polanco vs. Jean Carlos Torres
Keon Davis vs. Ira Johnson
Jared Anderson vs. Marios Kollias
Nico Ali Walsh vs. Juan Carlos Guerra Jr.
