‘I’M A SPECIAL TALENT’
The outspoken Ohara Davies tells Jack Figg he’s happy with new trainer and promoter ahead of return
CONTROVERSIAL super-lightweight Ohara Davies maintains “life has been great” following his split with Matchroom Boxing and trainer Tony Sims. The 26-year-old is now being trained by Carlos Moreno, an up-and-coming coach who has gyms in Dalston and Clapham, while his promotional duties are now being headed by Frank Warren.
Davies, 16-1 (13), was taken off Matchroom’s bill in December when some ill-advised Tweets in support of The Sun newspaper, which inadvertently made a mockery of the Hillsborough disaster, caused outrage. Davies maintains he was oblivious to their connotations and meant no harm.
The Hackney man, who has fought once since a humbling loss to Josh Taylor last summer, beating Tom Farrell
in September, has been sparring the likes of Robert Asagba at West Ham Boxing Club following his split from Sims.
“Life has been great to be honest,” Davies tells Boxing News. “I’m around people I know genuinely care about me, genuinely want to love me and I’m not in the gym surrounded around eight other fighters, I get that attention I need.”
He continues, “You look at every great in boxing history, their coach hasn’t got eight others [boxing in the gym]. I think having seven or eight other fighters is like a security or insurance plan. If one fighter gets beat they have other fighters, and I don’t want to be around that environment anymore. I feel like I’m a special talent so I don’t really want to mix with anyone.”
The lightweight is scheduled to fight on the Lee Selby-josh Warrington undercard in Leeds on May 19 against Frenchman Christopher Sebire, 26-10- 1 (9) in a 10-rounder, with an interesting clash with Josh Leather, 13-0 (6), set to follow in support of Billy Joe Saunders’
WBO middleweight title defence against Martin Murray at the O2 on June 23. Ben Doughty, coach of Asagba, has been impressed with Davies’ progress.
“We see a lot of Ohara down at West Ham BC and he often spars with my welterweight, Robert Asagba,” Doughty told BN. “He has good skills but the most striking thing about Davies is probably his strength and stamina. That’s why they call him ‘2 Tanks’, he never seems to get tired in the gym.
“He might always struggle with an elite stylist like Taylor, but I think he will have too much for Leather.”
For Davies, who will be showcased on BT Sport, he’s just pleased to be looking forward.
“I can’t wait, it’s been about seven months now that I’ve been out the ring for,” he says. “I feel that I needed a fresh start and I needed to have a few months out to adjust to my new team and get things into place, I’m just ready to go now.”
Outspoken for much of his career, Davies’ new approach marks a change in demeanour, but the Hackney man insists he does not have anything to prove.
“At the start I felt I did have something to prove, but now I realised it doesn’t matter how I act, the people are going see me in the light that they wanna see me in,” he adds. “I could be the real me, which I am doing, and I’m still getting abusive messages from people saying I’m this and I’m that, so people have already labelled me a bad guy. It doesn’t matter how I act, that’s all I’m going to be in their eyes, so I’m not looking to prove anything to anyone. I’m just going to be me and become more successful.”
Davies plans on wasting no time upon his return to the ring and has ambitiously targeted a world title shot.
“Getting the rounds in is really important for me so I’m really looking forward to this next fight [on May 19] because I can showcase everything that I’ve learnt. I’ve been showcasing it in the gym in my sparring sessions but it’s finally time to show it in the ring.
“This year I would like to go for a world title, as soon as I can and possibly it would be early next year so I just have to stay focused stay on the ground and I’ll get there.”
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