Keyshawn Davis opened a new chapter on Saturday night, knocking out Jamaine Ortiz in the 12th round to begin his campaign as a junior welterweight.
Davis, a 26-year-old from Norfolk, Virginia, put down Ortiz twice – once in the 11th and once more in the 12th – at Madison Square Garden in New York City to become the first boxer to stop Ortiz.
The end came at the 2:47 mark, to lead Davis, 13-0 (9 KOs), a former WBO lightweight titleholder and 2020 Olympic silver medalist, toward building his name in a second division after losing his belt last year due to missing weight for his first defense.
Ortiz, 29, of Worcester, Massachusetts, had previously lost only to world champions Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez Jnr in highly competitive fights.
Davis made his first statement early, landing a right hand to the temple that caught Ortiz’s attention in the first. Davis pushed his advantage even further the following round, catching Ortiz reaching to land his own right hand, and then using his jab to the body to frame Ortiz for straight rights.
With little success to show for his efforts in the first two rounds, Ortiz adjusted to bouncing more on his toes. This adjustment only meant he wasn’t planted to punch or defend, as Davis continued to pop him with accurate shots. Ortiz closed the third with a pair of left hands that gave him his best success to that point.
Ortiz was able to find the target more often in the fourth, as his quick shots to the head and body forced Davis backwards at times. But Davis regained control of the fight by the end of the round, taking advantage of Ortiz lunging in without a jab to land counterpunches.
As Ortiz’s movement began to slow in the seventh round, Davis ramped up the pressure. He landed a left hook early that affected Ortiz, followed by body shots with both hands. Davis landed the best punches of the fight in the 10th, first with a long right hand off the front foot, then with a few more right hands as Ortiz switched to orthodox in search of a new answer. The constant barrage of right hands exacerbated a mouse above Ortiz’s left eye, prompting a visit to the doctor before the beginning of the 11th round.
Sensing his opponent’s vulnerability, Davis sought to take the decision out of the hands of the referee and doctor, dropping Ortiz with a left hook to the body that kept him down for a count of nine. Davis continued to pour on the punishment to the head and body as he taunted Ortiz’s corner between assaults. Ortiz showed great heart to survive, even as a cut opened on the corner of his left eye to keep his mouse company. He even had Davis backing up at the bell after catching him in his own left eye.
Davis never stopped trying for the knockout, and he finally found it in the last 20 seconds, wobbling Ortiz with a right hand before a body shot put him down once more to force the stoppage.
Ryan Songalia is a reporter and editor for BoxingScene.com and has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler, The Guardian, Vice and The Ring magazine. He holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at ryansongalia@gmail.com or on Twitter at @ryansongalia.
