Andreas HaleFeb 1, 2026, 12:04 AM ET
CloseAndreas Hale is a combat sports reporter at ESPN. Andreas covers MMA, boxing and pro wrestling. In Andreas’ free time, he plays video games, obsesses over music and is a White Sox and 49ers fan. He is also a host for Sirius XM’s Fight Nation. Before joining ESPN, Andreas was a senior writer at DAZN and Sporting News. He started his career as a music journalist for outlets including HipHopDX, The Grammys and Jay-Z’s Life+Times. He is also an NAACP Image Award-nominated filmmaker as a producer for the animated short film “Bridges” in 2024.
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Keyshawn Davis made a powerful statement in a new weight class with a 12th-round stoppage in the final seconds of his junior welterweight fight against Jamaine Ortiz at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday night.
The fight was the co-main event for the Teofimo Lopez-Shakur Stevenson bout and was Davis’ triumphant return after a tumultuous 2025.
Davis (14-0, 10 KOs) was in control from the opening bell, demonstrating exceptional ring command and using a jab and body punching to win rounds against an opponent who had never been stopped in his pro career.
“I put on an amazing performance, like I promised you,” Davis said. “I heard y’all booing, but I gave you a knockout. You just got to be patient.”
Ortiz (20-3-1, 10 KOs) gave Teofimo Lopez and Vasiliy Lomachenko all they could handle despite losing to both fighters. Ortiz was expected to give Davis a stiff test for his 140-pound debut. However, he struggled mightily to get anything going and was picked apart by “The Businessman.”
Although he had a significant lead, Davis continued to pursue the finish and dropped Ortiz with a body shot in Round 11. Davis ramped up the pressure and finished the fight in the closing seconds with a hard right hand before another body shot put Ortiz down for good.
“I just love being great,” Davis said. “I keep digging and keep going. I just wanted to put on a great performance, and I feel I did that.”
Davis bounced back after a tough 2025, when he missed weight for his title defense bout against Edwin De Los Santos, causing the fight to be cancelled. Davis hinted at retirement but returned to fight Ortiz in a new weight class with a new training team. Davis, 26, previously trained with Brian “BoMac” McIntyre alongside Stevenson and Terence Crawford, but Davis went his own way. The move paid off as Davis collected the biggest win of his career, as the former WBO lightweight champion is ready for a new opponent.
“Devin Haney is definitely on my hit list, and we’re making that happen in 2026,” Davis said.
Haney is the WBO welterweight champion, which means that Davis would have to go up in weight again. Whether it materializes next, Davis has proven that he belongs alongside boxing’s elite after Saturday’s dominant performance.