A heated exchange unfolded at Wednesday’s press conference in New York when Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn Davis accused WBO lightweight champion Denys Berinchyk of leaving a racially charged package at his hotel room door.
Davis, who holds a perfect 12-0 professional record with one draw, claimed the Ukrainian champion delivered bananas and watermelon with an accompanying note to his accommodation.
“I want to address the fact that this guy came to America to give me bananas and watermelon with a note on it,” Davis said during the press conference. “It’s unprofessional, and I feel like it’s racist, and you just made this a little more personal.”
Berinchyk, who holds an undefeated 19-0 record with nine knockouts, defended himself through an interpreter, suggesting he wasn’t responsible for the incident.
“I want to say that I don’t speak English, and I don’t write English,” Berinchyk responded. “Because I saw his message on the media that some, it’s weird just even to mention this. Some people with bad intentions looking for some hype made this like now it’s…”
The accusation has added tension to their upcoming WBO lightweight title bout, scheduled for this weekend at Madison Square Garden. This marks Berinchyk’s first title defense since claiming the belt in May with a split decision victory over Emanuel Navarrete.
Davis, who most recently secured a second-round knockout victory against Gustavo Daniel Lemos to retain his WBO inter-continental lightweight crown and claim the IBF inter-continental belt, remained adamant about the incident.
“Y’all heard what I said. This man brought a box of bananas and a watermelon,” Davis continued. “He brought a box of bananas and a watermelon to America to get to my room, to bring to my room, and I just, I took it as racist.”
