American boxer Keyshawn Davis has accused his opponent and his team of sending him a box of bananas and watermelons in a package delivered to his hotel room.
Davis, 25, will fight for his first world title on Friday when he takes on WBO lightweight champion Denys Berinchyk in New York.
On Wednesday, the former Olympian shared a shocking post on X, claiming a racist package had been sent to his hotel room while suggesting Berinchyk and his team were behind it.
Davis shared a picture of a box containing a bunch of bananas and a watermelon. Also attached was a note reading: ‘Here’s snack for all those high jumps… stay energised’. The note appeared to be signed ‘businesswom.’
Davis wrote: ‘Denys Berinchyk & his team sent this to my room. I never thought bro was racist but this fight just got a little more personal.’
Berinchyk and his team denied any knowledge of the package.
The incident was raised in a press conference previewing Friday’s fight with Davis again alleging his opponent was responsible.
‘I want to address the fact that this guy came to America to give me bananas and watermelon with a note on it,’ Davis said. ‘It’s unprofessional and it’s racist and you just made this fight a little more personal.’
He continued: ‘Y’all heard what I said. This man brought a box of bananas and a watermelon to America to bring to my room. I took it as racist.’
Berinchyk briefly responded in Ukrainian with his promoter Alexander Krassyuk translating: ‘First thing I would like to say is I don’t speak English and I don’t write English. I saw this message on social media. It is weird to even mention this. Someone people with bad intentions looking for some hype made this..’
Davis interrupted: ‘He ain’t say all that! Y’all did it, it’s okay y’all did, I’m just gonna whip your ass for it. Know what’s going to happen.’
Davis and Berinchyk met in a heated face-off shortly after with the former heard repeatedly muttering ‘racist’ at his Ukrainian opponent.
Berinchyk’s promoter Krassyuk, who also represents unified heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Uysk, later insisted he had ‘no idea’ who sent the package.
‘I learned about this package from his trainer last night. He said this is total disrespect. I didn’t even realise what he was talking about,’ Krassuyk told Fight Hub TV. ‘Berinchyk is an honourable champion, a man who has been in boxing for many years and he is only about boxing. I have no idea who sent it.’
Speaking in a separate interview through another member of his team, Berinchyk also denied sending the package. ‘Denys does not know about this package, he has sent nothing and he doesn’t know,’ his team member translated. ‘It is Keyshawn’s problem.’
