Telford's fired-up Liam Davies aims to be sitting on top of the world
For Liam Davies, this is more than just a fight.
Personal glory and a world title are big enough motivators on their own, but the Telford scrapper is fighting for more than just belts and adulation.
In his professional career, which now boasts an undefeated 15-0 record, it all began when he won his first belt.
After a long and successful amateur career, Davies turned pro in 2018 and two years later he beat Sean Cairns to win the English bantamweight title and his journey to repaying his family began.
Shortly after securing the belt, Davies visited the grave of his grandfather Brian Davies, who used to run the Donnington Boxing Club and helped train him from a young age.
More than three years later and Davies has already won British and European titles, among others, on his way to the holy grail – a world title shot.
On Saturday at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, Davies will face Erik Robles Ayala for the IBO world super-bantamweight crown – with a chance to secure his family for the future.
“This is the biggest one yet, for sure,” Davies said. “I started off trying to win the British title and I went on to win the European, so this one is the only belt I haven’t taken to my grandad’s grave.
“This is the cherry on the cake for me and my family. I can financially secure my life and make sure my kids don’t grow up on a council estate like I did, with the struggles we had.
“This is more than the fight, it’s for my life really. It’s the pinnacle, the top of the sport.
“I want to make my family proud and take away their worries, and I also want to achieve something I only dreamed of doing as a young lad.
“This would make all the hard work and sacrifice worth it. If I can do this, I can live my life a happy man and bring another world champion to Telford.
“I’ve spent the last two months with nothing on my mind but the task at hand and I can’t wait to get in there and do the business.
“This is massive. It’s the one for me. If I can do this, my grandad will have been a happy man.
“It still hurts me that he’s not here, but if I can do this and finish a journey I started with him, it will make me at peace.
“Some things are meant to be in life, I genuinely believe that.
“I believe this is for me. I’ve done my bit, put everything I can into it, and now I’m ready to receive my reward and what was meant for me.”
The 27-year-old is coming into this bout in fine form, with stoppages over Vincenzo La Femina and Jason Cunningham in his last two.
In the win over La Femina, Davies had to drag himself off the canvas to drop the previously undefeated Italian twice, before stopping him in the fifth round.
In preparation for this latest test, the Telford fighter has travelled the globe in search of the best sparring.
“It’s been good, I’ve left no stone unturned and put everything I have into it,” Davies added. “I’ve been to Italy and Scotland for sparring and really invested in myself for this camp.
“I’ve taken myself out my comfort zone. When you go to these gyms you’re there for a job. There was no sightseeing in Italy, it was strictly work. You get out what you put in.
“I’ve sparred a lot of bigger guys and it’s really tested me and benefited me at the same time.
“I’m now looking for it to pay off on the 16th and achieve my childhood dream.”
In Robles, Davies faces another stern test against the 15-1 Mexican. Robles’ stoppage loss to Carlos Daniel Acosta in 2020 will give Davies confidence that the 23-year-old can be hurt.
“It’s my toughest fight yet,” Davies said. “He’s a good champion who has had some good wins. He’s been to Japan sparring Naoya Inoue, so it shows the level he’s at.
“This is the perfect fight for me. I want big challenges and I’ve always stepped up to the plate. I think I will get to him in the later rounds.”
“He’s a tough Mexican but you’ll need more than one man with two arms and two legs in that ring to stop me getting what I’ve set my eyes on.
“He’s a good boxer but I don’t think he’s good enough to stop me. I don’t care how I win, it’s just about winning. However it comes, I’ll take it.
“This one means so much more, so I have to make sure I’m at 100 per cent. I’ve put everything into this training camp, my diet has gone well, my training has been super hard and now I want to collect my reward. It’s not just my reward, but my grandad, dad and whole family deserve it.”
A win over Robles could offer up an unimaginable prize, too.
Davies insists he is not overlooking his test on March 16, but a victory could set him up for a fight with Japanese champion Inoue, who holds the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO world super-bantamweight titles.
The ‘monster’ has an undefeated 26-0 record with 23 knockouts and is a feared warrior among the ranks, but Davies is ready for him.
“Nothing else matters right now, honestly, I haven’t given it a thought,” he added.
“But if it all goes to plan then who else is there than Inoue? It’s a massive ask again, but other than that I’m ahead of everyone else.”
