Emanuel Navarrete wasn’t familiar with Denys Berinchyk until it was too late.

Heading into their showdown in mid-2024, Berinchyk (19-0, 9 KOs) knew his role. Before officially walking into the ring, the 36-year-old was handed a script to follow. After sifting through it and realizing that he was destined to come up short, he ripped up said script and went on to upset the boxing world.

After 12 grueling and difficult rounds, it was the Ukrainian who was crowned as the lightweight division’s new WBO champion. Now, with his hardware strapped around his waist, Berinchyk will do his best to defend his belt against Keyshawn Davis on February 14th, at the Theater in Madison Square Garden in New York City.

As he continues his preparation, Berinchyk takes the time to look back at the moment he became a world champion. Although he managed to eke out the win, he admits that he got a bit lucky. If Navarrete had gone all out in the final few rounds and pushed the pedal to the metal, the results would've been catastrophic for him.

“Navarrete had an opportunity to stop me in the 10th, 11th round,” confessed Berinchyk to The Toma Todito Boxing Show during a recent face-to-face interview. “It was the hard punches of Navarrete in the 10th, 11th round.”

Berinchyk, to his credit, has an elite poker face. His ability to put on a facade during those championship rounds, to an extent, aided him. Now, after a life-changing victory, all eyes are on Davis. The Ring’s No. 5 ranked lightweight and former Olympic silver medalist, has pleaded for a shot at any of the current belt holders outside of his good friend, Shakur Stevenson. Berinchyk, unlike many, happily raised his hand.

Much like his showdown against Navarrete, Berinchyk is viewed as a sizable underdog. And while he knows it won't be easy, the lofty goals he's set for himself won't be accomplished if Davis derails him.

"After Keyshawn, I want to unify the titles."