NEW YORK CITY (TopRank) — The prince of the lightweight division is coming to The Big Apple looking to unseat the king.

WBO world champion Denys Berinchyk will make the first defense of his title against the undefeated fighting pride of Norfolk, Virginia, Keyshawn Davis, Friday, Feb. 14, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. 

In the 10-round junior middleweight co-feature, Puerto Rican standout Xander Zayas steps up against fellow unbeaten Slawa Spomer.

And, in the 10-round televised opener, New Jersey-born middleweight Vito “White Magic” Mielnicki Jr. looks to upend undefeated, world-ranked contender Connor “The Kid” Coyle.

Berinchyk-Keyshawn, Zayas-Spomer, and Mielnicki-Coyle will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with K2 Promotions and Queensberry Promotions, tickets go on sale at noon Thursday via Ticketmaster.com.

“Keyshawn Davis has everything it takes to be a modern-day great, but he must first defeat an unbeaten, determined Ukrainian champion in Denys Berinchyk,” said Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum in a statement. “This has all the makings of a lightweight classic in New York City.”

Berinchyk (19-0, 9 KOs) spent nearly a decade on the Ukrainian national team as an amateur, in which his teammates included pound-for-pound great Vasiliy Lomachenko and two-weight undisputed king Oleksandr Usyk. He won the European title in December 2022 on the Tyson Fury-Derek Chisora 3 undercard, notching a decision over Yvan Mendy. Eight months later, he bested Anthony Yigit on the Usyk-Daniel Dubois bill in Poland, earning him a crack at Emanuel Navarrete for the vacant WBO lightweight world title. He stunned the ferocious Mexican warrior last May, tallying a split decision at Pechanga Arena San Diego. For his first title defense, Berinchyk will play the role of underdog once more, attempting to derail the Davis locomotive.

“I’m not going to make any big statements or shower my opponent with compliments,” Berinchyk said in a statement. “I’ll just say one thing: Don’t relax, dude. It won’t be an easy fight for you.” 

Davis (12-0, 8 KOs) ascended to the WBO No. 1 ranking in less than four years as a pro, showcasing the skills that made him the most accomplished American amateur of his generation. He graduated to 10-rounders in 2023, knocking out Yigit and dominating former European champion Francesco Patera to start the year. The only blemish on his record — an October 2023 decision victory over Nahir Albright that changed to a no-contest after a positive marijuana test — proved to be a minor speed bump. He stopped former two-division world champion Jose Pedraza in February.

Davis then overcame Mexican puncher Miguel Madueño over 10 one-sided rounds in July and authored a career-best performance last November, starching Gustavo Lemos in two rounds in front of 10,568 fans at a sold-out Scope Arena in Norfolk.

“This is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for,” Davis said in a statement. “Denys Berinchyk called me out, and I answered. A new era in the lightweight division begins on Feb. 14. Be there in person or watch it live on ESPN because what I’m going to do must be seen to be believed.”