It’s 2025 yet boxing seems to have not moved past certain societal facets of malintent as Keyshawn Davis (12-0, 8 KO’s), who is set to compete in his first world title fight this upcoming Friday [February 14th] against Ukrainian WBO lightweight (135 lbs) champion Denys Berinchyk (19-0, 9 KO’s), has accused his opponent of racism. Davis and Berinchyk are set to headline Top Rank’s upcoming show at the Madison Square Garden (Theater) in New York.
During yesterday’s pre-fight press conference for their upcoming fight, Keyshawn Davis revealed he was sent bananas, a water melon and an accompanying note to his hotel room, two objects known for racially and stereotypically defining African-Americans, and the American fighter attributed the “gift” to Berinchyk.
“I just want to address the fact that this guy came to America to give me bananas and a watermelon with a note on it,” Davis accused the Ukrainian fighter during the presser.
“It’s unprofessional, and I feel like it’s racist, and you just made this fight a little more personal.“
“This man brought a box of bananas and a watermelon to America to bring to my [hotel] room, and I took it as racist; so I got something for you.“
On his Twitter/X account, Davis further posted proof of the incident and the note:
Denys Berinchyk seemed to ignore the accusations, replying through translator and promoter Alex Krassyk that Keyshawn Davis would need to make weight at the upcoming weigh-ins held on Thursday, and that they would “sort it out” on Friday.
Berinchyk’s statement does not necessarily implicate him for Davis’ claims of racist behavior, but neither does it appear he has fully exonerated himself.
There are doubts as to whether Berinchyk, who hails from the Ukraine, would know of racist stereotypes prevalent in the United States. Notably, the upcoming fight takes place during the month of February which is designated in the USA as “Black History Month” in celebration of African-American culture and history.
In response to the incident, Top Rank, the organizing promoter of the event, responded to express their distaste at the gift basket, but notably did not signal any effort to launch an investigation:
“Top Rank is appalled and disgusted by the actions of the individual(s) that delivered the package to Keyshawn Davis last night,” The promotion wrote in an official statement.
“These actions are contrary to the foundation of Top Rank. There is no place for this in sports or society. Keyshawn has our full support.“
Though the exact culprit has not been officially identified, there are hints as to one individual who may have sent the gift basket: Davis’ Top Rank colleague Teofimo Lopez (21-1, 13 KO’s) who after the incident posted a video of himself eating a banana while laughing at a clip where Davis accused Berinchyk of the racist gift basking, captioned with the title “Make Boxing Great Again”.
Teofimo Lopez has been under fire for racism before, having most recently been under fire for calling WBA super welterweight (154 lbs) and lightweight (135 lbs) champions, respectively Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KO’s) and Gervonta Davis (30-0, 28 KO’s) “monkeys” and referencing bananas during an interview with Broadway Joel.
