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Boxing News: Denys Berinchyk Aims for Glory on Pivotal Night for Ukraine
On May 18th, Ukrainian boxer Denys Berinchyk (18-0, 9 KOs) will make his highly anticipated United States debut as he challenges Emanuel Navarrete (38-1-1, 31 KOs) for the vacant WBO lightweight title in the main event on ESPN. This comes on the heels of Oleksandr Usyk’s heavyweight title showdown against Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia earlier that day, making it a banner moment for Ukrainian boxing.
Berinchyk, a 2012 Olympic silver medalist, will be fighting for a world title for the first time in his nine-year professional career. Despite being a +400 betting underdog against the -600 favorite Navarrete, the 36-year-old Berinchyk remains confident in his abilities, citing Navarrete’s lackluster performance and majority draw against Robson Conceicao in November.
“This is my weight class, and I’ve been boxing at 135 pounds my entire career,” said Berinchyk. “I will be smarter than Navarrete and show him different styles.”
Berinchyk’s journey has been a unique one, as he has had to balance his professional boxing career with fighting on the battlefield as part of Ukraine’s territorial defenses during the ongoing Russian invasion. When not in the ring, Berinchyk dons military fatigues for his ring walks, representing his country’s resilience.
Notably, Berinchyk is not shying away from a potential future clash with fellow Ukrainian and former teammate Vasiliy Lomachenko, who is fresh off a dominant stoppage win against George Kambosos Jr. last Saturday. Berinchyk made it clear that he has no hesitations in facing Lomachenko, despite the complicated relationship between the two Ukrainian boxers.
“It’s big money – nice,” said Berinchyk regarding a fight with Lomachenko. “… And this money can be donated to the Ukrainian army. … But first we must do our work on May 18.”
As the world watches, Denys Berinchyk aims to make May 18th a night to remember for Ukraine, both in and out of the ring.
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