Details of the main scandal so far before the fight Denis Berinchyk – Keyshawn Davis
Denis Berinchyk, Keyshawn Davis, photo Top Rank
On February 14, Denis Berinchyk and Keyshawn Davis will fight in New York for the WBO lightweight title , which belongs to the Ukrainian. Over the course of several days of the media week, the boxers managed to put on a couple of interesting shows, the main one being the press conference before the fight, at which Davis seriously accused Berinchyk of racism. We tell you about the scandal or Keyshawn's attempt to sell the fight for more.
The Berinchyk-Davis fight will take place at the Hulu Theater of the legendary Madison Square Garden arena in New York. The hall seats 5,600 spectators, and as of Thursday morning, about 100 tickets were available for sale in almost all sectors: the cheapest – 3,200 hryvnia, the most expensive – 22,000 hryvnia. How many of them will be put up for sale on the day of the fight is unknown.
Davis is headlining a main card for the second time in his career. Last August, Keyshawn's fight against Lemos was the main event of a boxing evening in Northfolk at the Scope Arena, which holds more than 10,000 spectators. It failed to sell out and, perhaps, Davis is trying to attract attention to the fight with Berinchyk. Otherwise, it is difficult to explain the Ukrainian's accusations of racism, as well as the story told by Keyshawn.
At the final press conference, Davis said that bananas, a watermelon and an anonymous note were sent to his room, and he believes that Berinchyk did it.
“The cleaning lady came to the room and said, ‘Here’s something for you.’ I wasn’t in the room, but my friend was. When they rang the bell, he asked, ‘What is this?’ but the guy insisted on bringing the package, so he said, ‘Fuck it, bring it,’” Davich said. “When I came back, I opened it. There was a note on the box, and inside were bananas and a watermelon. After reading this note, I can say that it was not written by an American. We Americans know how to speak and write English correctly. Moreover, at the end it said, ‘businesswomen.’ That’s what Berinchik called me during the battle of glances.”
Berinchyk, in turn, denies his involvement in this incident, even if we assume that this incident took place. “I did not send anything and certainly did not write, since I do not know how to write in English,” the Ukrainian said.
Berinchyk's promoter Alexander Krasyuk also agrees. “I learned about this box from Davis BoMac's trainer last night when I was going to bed in my room. He said, 'Man, this is completely disrespectful.' I didn't even understand what he was talking about. He said that someone sent this box. It's clear to me: someone with bad intentions tried to add to the hype of the situation.
“Berinchyk is a worthy champion, a man who has spent many years in boxing. He thinks only about boxing. I have no idea who sent this box.”
Read also: Berinchyk: Davis is disrespectful. I want to see fear in his eyes
Keyshawn himself said that the fight with Berinchyk is now special to him, regardless of the championship title at stake. “You just made this fight personal. I took it all as racism and bought something for you. At the press conference, I wanted to show the media that he is a racist. Now it’s a more personal fight.”
Read also: Why Davis took a risk by choosing Berinchyk. The Ukrainian's unpredictability is his main asset in the upcoming fight
The boxers had already had a stare-off. During the ceremony, Davis tried to snatch the championship belt from the Ukrainian's hands. Denis responded harshly, and the boxers had a verbal skirmish the next minute. There was no more active action during the show.
Read also: Berinchyk – Davis bookmakers assess boxers' chances of winning the championship fight
Let us recall that in May, Berinchyk won a split decision over Mexican Emmanuel Navarrete. The Ukrainian won the long-awaited WBO lightweight title. In his last fight in November, Keyshawn Davis knocked out Argentine Gustavo Lemos in the second round.
See also: Blood, sweat and tears: Top Rank releases film about Berinchyk and Davis preparing for championship fight (video)
Earlier it also became known that the undercard of the fight between Denis Berinchyk and Keyshawn Davis will include a fight between American heavyweight boxer Jared Anderson and Greek Marios Kollias.
Read also: Why Davis is considered a clear favorite in the fight with Berinchyk. Excellent amateur career, elite coach, status of a big prospect
The undercard will be headlined by a junior middleweight bout between undefeated Xander Zayas of Puerto Rico and Slava Shpomer of Germany, as well as a six-round middleweight bout featuring Nico Ali Walsh, the grandson of the legendary Muhammad Ali.
Read also: Berinchyk to earn record purse for himself in fight against Davis, around $400,000
The MEGOGO media service will show the main fight of the event, as well as the entire fight card of the evening. The broadcast will be available via the subscriptions “Easy”, “Optimal”, “Sport”, “Maximum” and “MEGOPACK XL”; in the “Martial Arts” subsection in the “Sports” section, on the “MEGOGO Gong” channel, as well as on a separate pop-up channel in the “Television” section.