Keyshawn Davis vs. Jamaine Ortiz Keys to Victory: Breaking down tactics of each fighter

Tempers flared during Friday’s Ring VI weigh-in when Jamaine Ortiz tried to smack Keyshawn Davis only to hit a security guard instead.

They will now carry that energy into their fight Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, and live on DAZN PPV, when a returning Davis takes on Ortiz in a super lightweight bout that has quickly become personal. The fight will serve as chief support to WBO super lightweight world champion Teofimo Lopez putting his title on the line against undefeated Shakur Stevenson.

For the undefeated Davis (13-0 with 1 no contest, 9 KOs), it is all about getting his career back on track following a bittersweet 2025. He started last year on a solid note, generating a fourth-round knockout of Denys Berinchyk to win the WBO lightweight title in February. However, Davis wound up being stripped of the championship as a result of weighing 4.3 pounds overweight for his slated June homecoming fight against Edwin De Los Santos in Norfolk, Virginia.

Now, he returns against a scrappy, savvy Ortiz (20-2-1, 10 KOs) who has won three straight fights since losing a unanimous decision to Teofimo Lopez in February 2024. The wins include his third-round TKO of Ambiorix Bautista in August.

Will Davis resurrect his career by producing a statement victory over a capable Ortiz? Or will Ortiz get the better of Davis in an upset? DAZN News examines the Keys to Victory for both fighters.

Keyshawn Davis’ Keys to Victory

Batter the body

Watch how Keyshawn Davis went about dismantling a rugged Denys Berinchyk toward the Ukrainian’s first pro loss. It was largely due to a concerted effort to targeting the body as a punishing left hook liver shot put Berinchyk on all fours writhing in pain during the third round, setting the tone for the eventual fourth-round TKO.

Davis can deploy the same strategy against Jamaine Ortiz, considering how much ‘The Technician’ likes to move around the ring laterally.

Not only will Davis banging away at the body score points, but it might sap some of Ortiz’ movement and energy along the way.

Start piecing together combinations upstairs

Once Davis has established an attack to the body, possibly sensing that Ortiz is slowing down, the onus will be on ‘The Businessman’ to fire away upstairs with crisp, clean combinations.

Davis already does this effectively. Against Ortiz, landing these combinations will be crucial in establishing dominance as ‘The Businessman’ ensures he is the one dictating the terms of this fight — without any negotiations.

Crank up the pressure

Like a chain reaction, once Davis has asserted attacks to the body and is landing some combinations, it is up to him to crank up the pressure on Ortiz, close in on the space between them and overwhelm ‘The Technician.’

After all, Davis, in his return to the ring, wants to send a message to boxing that he is back like he never left and a stoppage victory would achieve just that.

Jamaine Ortiz’ Keys to Victory

Work from the body up

Jamaine Ortiz is smooth in the way he peppers shots to the body before segueing upstairs with rapid combinations courtesy his quick hand speed.

Achieving this against Keyshawn Davis will help Ortiz stand his ground in bursts, possibly forcing ‘The Businessman’ to fight the sweet science style Ortiz prefers.

Stick and move

Strong in both hands, Davis is going to pressure and let his punches go over sequences of this fight.

When Ortiz astutely senses this, ‘The Technician’ should resort to sticking and moving. The touch and go against Davis might force the former lightweight world champion to constantly reset his offense and adjust to his movement. It can also help Ortiz to evade harm.

As long as Ortiz can score points and win rounds with this tactic, it is a strategy worth trying.

Switch stances to frustrate Davis

Ortiz switches stances from orthodox to southpaw pretty seamlessly within the flow of a fight. Doing this as part of his footwork and movement in the ring could possibly frustrate Davis or at the very least force him to adjust.

Given Ortiz’ touch and go style, switching stances falls in accordance and could also be helpful in him drafting escape routes out of harm’s way.

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