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Philippines, 13 Jan 2025 |
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Strictly Business: Lightweight Champion Denys Berinchyk to Defend Crown Against Keyshawn Davis February 14 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden LIVE on ESPN PhilBoxing.com Wed, 08 Jan 2025  Unbeaten junior middleweights Xander Zayas & Slawa Spomer collide in co-feature New Jersey’s Vito Mielnicki Jr. to battle Connor Coyle in middleweight televised opener Berinchyk-Davis, Zayas-Spomer, and Mielnicki-Coyle will be broadcast LIVE on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT NEW YORK CITY (Jan. 7, 2025) — The prince of the lightweight division is coming to The Big Apple looking to unseat the king. WBO world champion Denys Berinchyk will make the first defense of his title against the undefeated fighting pride of Norfolk, Virginia, Keyshawn Davis, on Friday, Feb. 14, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. In the 10-round junior middleweight co-feature, Puerto Rican standout Xander Zayas steps up against fellow unbeaten Slawa Spomer. And, in the 10-round televised opener, New Jersey-born middleweight Vito “White Magic” Mielnicki Jr. looks to upend undefeated, world-ranked contender Connor “The Kid” Coyle. Berinchyk-Keyshawn, Zayas-Spomer, and Mielnicki-Coyle will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with K2 Promotions and Queensberry Promotions, tickets go on sale Thursday, Jan. 9 at 12 p.m. ET via Ticketmaster.com. “Keyshawn Davis has everything it takes to be a modern-day great, but he must first defeat an unbeaten, determined Ukrainian champion in Denys Berinchyk. This has all the makings of a lightweight classic in New York City,” said Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum. “Xander Zayas is facing a tough, undefeated kid in Slawa Spomer, an excellent test for our Puerto Rican star as he nears a world title shot. And with Vito Mielnicki Jr. facing unbeaten Irishman Connor Coyle, we have a sensational tripleheader in store for the fans at The Theater at Madison Square Garden and watching live on ESPN.” Berinchyk (19-0, 9 KOs) spent nearly a decade on the Ukrainian national team as an amateur, where his teammates included pound-for-pound great Vasiliy Lomachenko and two-weight undisputed king Oleksandr Usyk. He won the European title in December 2022 on the Tyson Fury-Derek Chisora 3 undercard, notching a decision over Yvan Mendy. Eight months later, he bested Anthony Yigit on the Usyk-Daniel Dubois bill in Poland, earning him a crack at Emanuel Navarrete for the vacant WBO lightweight world title. He stunned the ferocious Mexican warrior last May, tallying a split decision at Pechanga Arena San Diego. For his first title defense, Berinchyk will play the role of underdog once more, attempting to derail the Davis locomotive. “I'm not going to make any big statements or shower my opponent with compliments,” Berinchyk said. “I'll just say one thing: Don't relax, dude! It won't be an easy fight for you!” Davis (12-0, 8 KOs) ascended to the WBO No. 1 ranking in less than four years as a pro, showcasing the skills that made him the most accomplished American amateur of his generation. He graduated to 10-rounders in 2023, knocking out Yigit and dominating former European champion Francesco Patera to start the year. The only blemish on his record — an October 2023 decision victory over Nahir Albright that changed to a no-contest after a positive marijuana test — proved to be a minor speed bump. He stopped former two-division world champion Jose Pedraza in February and overcame Mexican puncher Miguel Madueño over 10 one-sided rounds in July. Davis authored a career-best performance last November, starching Gustavo Lemos in two rounds in front of 10,568 fans at a sold-out Scope Arena in Norfolk. “This is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for. Denys Berinchyk called me out, and I answered,” Davis said. “A new era in the lightweight division begins on February 14th. Be there in person or watch it live on ESPN because what I’m going to do must be seen to be believed.” Zayas (20-0, 12 KOs), the WBO No. 1 contender, spent 2024 fighting at The Theater. He headlined Puerto Rican Day Parade Weekend in June, coasting past former world champion Patrick Teixeira over 10 rounds. Three months later, as the co-feature to the Sandy Ryan-Mikaela Mayer main event, he shut out Mexico’s Damian Sosa. The San Juan native signed with Top Rank at 16, made his pro debut as a 17-year-old in 2019, and currently holds a pair of regional titles. Spomer (20-0, 11 KOs) has beaten three undefeated prospects in his career. In October 2023, the German puncher blew away highly touted French standout Milan Prat in 10 rounds. Spomer returned 13 months later and picked up a first-round TKO over Adam Ngange in Dubai. "Since I was a kid, I always dreamed of making New York City my second home, and it fills me with pride to know that with a lot of effort and sacrifice, little by little, we have been receiving more and more love from my Puerto Ricans from ‘The Big Apple,’” Zayas said. “Fighting in front of my people at Madison Square Garden is always a great honor, and I can't wait to give them a great night of boxing on February 14. I will show I am ready to challenge for a world title at 154 pounds. I will not back down!” Spomer said, “I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this my whole life. It’s time to show the world that I belong at the top of the sport.” The 22-year-old Mielnicki (20-1, 12 KOs) makes his middleweight debut and is riding a 12-fight winning streak. The Garden State’s rising star signed with Top Rank last year and made his promotional debut in August with a second-round disqualification win over Laszlo Toth. He returned in September at The Theater and secured a majority decision over Khalil El Harraz. Coyle (21-0, 9 KOs), a world-ranked Irishman, is a 34-year-old veteran who turned pro in 2016 following a well-traveled amateur run. He made three defenses of a regional title from 2022-2023 and picked up his lone victory of 2024 in August with an eight-round decision over Kyle Lomotey in Barnsley, England. Coyle is no stranger to “road warrior” status, as he’s 18-0 on North American soil. The ESPN+-streamed undercard is scheduled to include the following bouts: Dominican-born welterweight contender Rohan Polanco (14-0, 9 KOs) continues his march towards a world title against Puerto Rico’s Jean Carlos Torres (22-1, 17 KOs) in a 10-rounder. Polanco represented his homeland at the Tokyo Olympics and has knocked out four of his last five foes. Torres has won three bouts since a 2021 stoppage defeat to Darwin Price. Rising lightweight Abdullah Mason (16-0, 14 KOs) will make his 2025 debut against Manuel Jaimes (16-2-1, 11 KOs) in an eight-rounder. The Cleveland-born Mason fought five times in 2024, stopping all his opponents in four rounds or less. Jaimes lost a 10-round decision to former world champion Rolando Romero last September. Cleveland’s Tiger Johnson (14-0, 6 KOs), an Olympic teammate of Davis’ in Tokyo, will face Cincinnati native Quashawn Toler (17-3, 12 KOs) in an eight-round welterweight battle for Ohio supremacy. This marks the fourth straight appearance at The Theater for Johnson, who went 3-0 with one knockout in 2024. In September, he won an eight-round decision over Yomar Alamo. Middleweight prospect Nico Ali Walsh (11-1, 5 KOs), the grandson of “The Greatest,” will face an opponent to be named in a six-rounder. Ali Walsh avenged the lone loss of his career last June, overcoming a dislocated shoulder to win a unanimous decision over Sona Akale.  |
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