Keyshawn was, until recently, part of Brian “BoMac” McIntyre’s setup, training out of the same gym as Bernie Davis. That habit shapes the scene. From Bernie’s point of view, Ortiz has already shown the weakness that is still evident. He can compete. He can live. But when it’s time to take something, he hesitates.
Davis pointed to Ortiz’s 2024 loss to Teofimo Lopez as a warning sign. Ortiz fought well enough to stay in the fight, but wasn’t fully committed to forcing a decision in his favor.
“Jamaine Ortiz, he fought well with Loma,” Davis said MillCity Fight. “He didn’t want to press the gas on Teo. I think Keyshawn, his punches are coming at a higher speed and he’s more powerful than Teo right now.”
That idea separates from a popular fan argument. Many thought Ortiz deserved the nod against Lopez and Vasiliy Lomachenko, moving them into trades but paying the price for being the B side on the scoreboard. Davis does not like moral victories. For him, those fights represent practice, not luck.
Keyshawn, he argued, brings something different. It’s not the eye-popping power, but more the timing and willingness to let his hands go when the opportunities present themselves.
Davis acknowledges that Keyshawn is not a one-time finisher, more of a one-stop program that chooses load times. He also noted that Keyshawn’s arrest of Denys Berinchyk was against an adult holding belts rather than a group leader. The goal is to pick fights like this.
“Keyshawn is going to load up on him,” Davis said. “Jamaine Ortiz has already fought Teo. Keyshawn Davis is not Teo. He comes with those guns blazing when he lets them go.”
The fight is sitting under the main event of Ring 6 in Madison Square Garden, and it’s like a crossroads pretending to be a supporting act. Ortiz has proven that he has the upper hand. Davis believes that is no longer enough. On January 31st, he is announcing that Keyshawn will do what Ortiz never did. Remove the war.