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Keyshawn Davis vs Jamaine Ortiz: Who Wins?

Originally posted on Fights Around The World
By Hector Franco | Last updated Jan 30, 2026 2:20 PM ET

The month of January isn’t particularly known for being a month where meaningful fights take place. It isn’t usually until almost at the halfway point of the year that the boxing calendar starts to open up with mega matchups of high importance. However, January 2026 has proven to be an exception. On the last day of the month, the 31st, several high-level fights are set to take place, with the Teofimo Lopez–Shakur Stevenson bout at the forefront.

However, on the undercard of Lopez-Stevenson is a crossroads match between two young fighters at stages of their careers where they both have something to prove. Former lightweight titleholder and Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn Davis (13-0, 9 KOs) moves to the junior welterweight division to take on Jamaine Ortiz (20-2-1, 10 KOs) in a twelve-round contest.

Davis, after winning the WBO lightweight title in dominant fashion over Denys Berinchyk in February 2025, looked good on his promise to be the best fighter out of Norfolk, Virginia, since Pernell Whitaker. But months later, in what would have been his first title defense, the self-proclaimed “Businessman” was anything but about his business. Davis failed to make weight by over 4 pounds, resulting not only in his WBO title being stripped but also in his fight against Edwin De Los Santos being cancelled.

Furthermore, Davis and his brother Keon Davis got into an altercation backstage following their brother, Kelvin Davis’ loss to Nahir Albright, leading to them being escorted out of the building by police. The event was a disaster for the former Olympian, leaving him looking unprofessional and detrimental to a promotion.

Now, with almost a year out of the ring, Davis has the opportunity to redeem himself and pick up on the promising road he left off on.

“A new fire has been lit,” Davis said on an episode of Ring Magazine’s Inside the Ring. “I had learned a lot during this layoff, learned a real lot about myself, about the people I was working with, my loved ones, and everything else. So, this is a second chance for me, literally. I’m just blessed to have a second chance, especially off of the layoff, so I’m excited, I’m ready.

“I feel like every great had that moment of adversity, and I feel like this is my moment right here where I’m about to rewrite my chapter.”

Although Davis is aware of the opportunity and challenge in front of him against Ortiz, he views the bout as a jumping-off point to move into the welterweight division.

“After I beat Jamaine Ortiz, God willing, I’m going to go to 147 and become a 147 champion,” stated Davis. “And then I’m going to defend it against somebody at 147.”

Certainly, the potential matchups at 147 would be intriguing against the likes of Devin Haney, yet looking past a fighter like Ortiz could be a mistake. Known as “The Technician”, out of Massachusetts, Jamaine Ortiz has proven his worth against elite competition, against the likes of Jamel Herring, Vasyl Lomachenko, and Teofimo Lopez.

Ortiz was able to push Lomachenko to his limit, only losing a narrow unanimous decision after faltering in the second half of the fight. A loss that could be used as a learning experience and proof he wasn’t far behind fighters on the pound-for-pound list. Ortiz’s fight against Teofimo Lopez was controversial, with many viewers believing he had done enough to earn a victory, but walked away with another unanimous decision loss on his resume.

Instead of staying stagnant, Ortiz has kept himself active, fighting on smaller cards, perhaps keeping himself sharp as he awaits the next opportunity. Despite holding his own against elite fighters, Ortiz doesn’t want to be known as a perennial contender. The fighter who gives the best fighters a tough night but never wins, in the vein of Oba Carr and, to some extent, more recently, Shawn Porter.

“I definitely have a point to prove,” Ortiz told Ring Magazine. “Every fight, I have a point to prove. But based on my last couple of fights, I have to prove it even more, and more convincingly. More in a dominant fashion.”

Keyshawn Davis vs Jamaine Ortiz Prediction

Ortiz’s style of moving on the go could prove difficult for Davis, who has been out of the ring for an extended period. Both fighters have so much on the line; a loss would be devastating, putting plans for the future back to the drawing board. Davis is brash and supremely confident to the point of seemingly overlooking his opponent. Ortiz has been ready and clamoring for another shot to prove he belongs in the world title picture.

Look for a close fight that goes the 12-round distance; however, instead of being on the wrong end of a close decision, Ortiz will have his hands held high in an upset. Davis may choose to stay at 140, but his plans for dominating the welterweight division will be thwarted or delayed until further notice.