Two top American talents delivered knockout victories on the biggest possible stage at Madison Square Garden when they needed them most. Now, Keyshawn Davis and Bruce Carrington will be in a lot of conversations for big fights moving into 2026 – and the fans are the real winners.
Keyshawn Davis Is Back in Business
Despite his obvious talents, there were lingering concerns about the return Saturday night of Keyshawn Davis of Norfolk, Virginia (13-0, 9 KOs) in a new weight division after his disastrous scale-fail and meltdown last summer.
Davis put those all to rest with a sensational knockout win against challenger Jamaine Ortiz. Davis of Norfolk, Virginia (14-0, 10 KOs) took some rounds getting up to speed, but when he did, he became the first opponent to do something Teofimo Lopez and Vasily Lomachenko couldn’t do: get the knockout win over Ortiz of Worcester, Massachusetts (20-3, 10 KOs).
“Tonight, I just want to put on a great performance. I feel like I did that,” said Davis. “I heard y’all booing, but hey, I gave y’all a knockout. Y’all gotta be patient sometimes, but I told you I got y’all!”
Through the first eight rounds, Davis needed time to settle in and settle down. Ortiz is a defensive talent who has a way of making most fighters look less than their best. But once Davis had his number, he didn’t take the easy way to the win. He moved in and took the fight to Ortiz with his world-class body punching. It was a body shot that scored the first knockdown of Ortiz in the 11th round. Ortiz was slow to get to his feet, but the bell gave him one more round.
Ortiz might have regretted it when Davis kept at him, drilling him and forcing him to take a knee near the end of the fight from one last body shot. This time, referee Thomas Taylor kept him from taking any more damage by waiving off the fight at 2:47 of round 12.
Davis Slays His Demons
Boxing Fight
Davis, who has battled problems outside the ring, knew he had to demonstrate that he got his act together. To his credit, he buckled down during training, saying he didn’t let any cameras in while he prepared for the fight, while battling demons, including his admission of struggling with alcohol.
“Me and my team, Kelvin Davis, Keon Davis, my mama, Wanda Davis, and my coaches behind me … We were preparing for two months straight. Man, no cameras, just us working. “This ain’t nothing but family around me. So, get used to these faces right here. We’re back, and we’re better,” said Davis.
Asked who he’d like to take on among the champions, Davis did not hesitate: “Devin Haney.” Carrington said his father and trainer Bill Haney had been sending him DMs. “Devin Haney is definitely on my hit list, and we’re making that happen.”
Here’s hoping the elation of taking the fight to the tricky Ortiz keeps him where boxing needs him, at the top of his game as one of the most exciting Americans in the sport.
Carrington Wins First Title In Shu York Style
Boxing Fight
Brooklyn native Bruce ‘Shu Shu’ Carrington (17-0, 10 KOs) broke the Madison Square Garden curse on New York natives with a sensational knockout victory over Carlos Castro of Mexico (30-4, 14 KOs) to win the WBC World Featherweight title.
“I expected it to be a tough fight, but I knew I was gonna finish strong as the Brownsville champion that I am today,” said Carrington.
Through eight rounds, Carrington was in a highly competitive fight against veteran Carlos Castro of Mexico, who was having good success landing on Carrington. Castro buzzed Carrington in the fourth round, and Carrington admitted he needed some time to “get my faculties back.”
When he did halfway into the ninth round, Carrington drilled Castro with a combination series, starting with a left hook to the body, right hook to the head, followed by two more hooks from either side. There wasn’t a doubt when Castro hit the canvas that the fight was over.
Carrington said he thought he’d get the knockout in the eighth round, but it took just a bit more time. “I just knew I needed to land a good combination. I was looking for one shot at first, one shot, one shot, one shot. But the combinations is what set up those punches, the big punch. And then I felt like it was time for him to go.”
It was Carrington’s best finish, and it couldn’t have come at a better time with every big name in boxing watching ringside. “I’m super excited to see what the future holds for me. And you guys, you already know. I want all of the champions, (Rafael) Espinosa, Angelo Leo, Nick Ball. You already know how I’m coming.”
Miller Wins By A Hair Over Ibeh
The attention-getting moment of the heavyweight bout between Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller and Kingsley “Black Lion” Ibeh came early in the fight when Miller’s toupee was punched loose from his head by Ibeh. Miller promptly tore it off his head after the round and threw it into the crowd, where WBC president Mauricio Sulieman reportedly retrieved it. It also showed up in the hands of Fabio Wardley and Skye Nicolson ringside.
Not since super middleweight champion Franchon Crews-Dezurn had her weave yanked off her head in 2020 has a fight been overshadowed by a hairstyle failure. A million memes have been born.
It speaks to the lack of memorable excitement as two men with a combined weight of 605 pounded away inside to the final bell, with Miller of Brooklyn (27-1, 22 KOs) taking the split decision over Ibeh of Nigeria based in Phoenix (16-3, 14 KOs). Miller wins a sloppy fight by being the more active puncher of the two men … dare we say by a hair? Scores were 97-93 twice for Miller, and 96-94 for Ibeh.
Miller blamed the situation with his hair on mistakenly using bleach on it a few days before the fight, then getting fitted for the hairpiece. He laughed the incident off.
“I’m a comedian. You gotta make fun of yourself, you know,” said Miller. Brooklyn’s “Big Baby” said he wants to stay active, claiming he wants another fight in 30 to 40 days to improve his performance. “Took some shots I usually don’t want to take, but at the end of the day, it’s boxing.”
The win will get Miller another fight because of his ability to entertain and promote a fight, but his best days in the ring are long behind him.
Undercard Results: Williams Wins; Almaayouf Suffers First Loss
Boxing Fight
With WBC World Middleweight Champion Carlos Adames dropping out due to illness, challenger Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams of Florida (20-1, 13 KOs) took on replacement opponent Wendy Toussaint of Huntington, New York (17-4, 10 KOs), a fixture with Star Boxing out of Huntington, NY.
Toussaint was training for a scheduled fight Feb. 28 when he got the call and $250,000 for his trouble. Toussaint is durable and survived a vicious fourth-round knockdown, earning every bit of that purse by making Williams go the distance for the decision. Whether you believe Williams should have been able to stop Toussaint, a win is a win.
Opening the card, Saudi Arabian prospect Ziyad ‘Zizo’ Almaayouf scored an early knockdown in the first round. It looked to be an easy night for him. But Almaayouf (7-1, 1 KO) found himself in a firefight, losing to Kevin Castillo of Ecuador (6-2) by decision in their eight-round Super Lightweight bout. Scores were 78-73 and 77-74 twice for Castillo.
Castillo outworked Almaayouf, who couldn’t get his bearings when Castillo settled in and took the fight to Almaayouf. Almaayouf, who has no amateur experience, will go back to the gym with trainer Buddy McGirt and regroup.
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist and the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). She is the Managing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.