by Shaun Brown
ROBBIE DAVIES JR didn’t wish to be a stepping stone for some up-and-coming prospect. If his profession started to stumble down that path he would have retired.
After his memorable defeat to Sergey Lipinets in Might, a fifth profession loss, no-one would have been stunned if the colorful Scouser referred to as it a day. However such was his show and resilience the 35-year-old nonetheless sees daylight and the potential of extra large fights.
On November 1, Davies can be in Belfast, particularly the SSE Odyssey Enviornment, to combat Dominican Javier Fortuna at super-lightweight on a Professional Field card. The 34-year-old’s profession is in the same place to Davies’ and a fifth defeat of his personal may spell the top for ‘El Abejon’.
“If I’m going to be fighting I like to be in with names who have been at a certain level. And Fortuna’s been in with some of the best like, [Joseph] Diaz and Ryan Garcia. There’s loads of fighters when you go through his list. He’s a very technical, sound fighter and I’m looking forward to it.”
Davies is at a stage the place his causes for carrying on boxing differ from years in the past. Successful nonetheless issues and ambition by no means dwindles however these days it’s extra concerning the love for the game. Now into his twelfth 12 months on the circuit, Davies has gone via the great instances and the unhealthy in his 28 fights to this point.
On the horizon is a brand new profession outdoors of the game. For now, nevertheless, he’ll preserve punching so long as the massive fights preserve coming.
“I know what’s next if I beat this fella,” the self-managed fighter mentioned.
“It’s a continuous roll of big fight, big fight, big fight. I couldn’t even say to you I’m doing this because if I get to this [big fight], I get a big payday and I’m just going for that. I just love it.”
When requested who may very well be subsequent Davies wouldn’t reveal however it’s clearly a combat and fighter that excites him and retains the profession pulse beating. However earlier than that…
“I’m going to spark this fella [Fortuna], I’m not messing.”
The spectacle of Lipinets vs. Davies may very well be repeated if the Liverpudlian will get his method. In addition to selecting not for use to profit another person’s profession he doesn’t wish to spend 10 or 12 rounds chasing an opponent round a hoop.
“I just can’t be bothered with that,” Davies mentioned. “However if you wish to combine it up, they’re my sort of fights.
“I really feel like I’m going to have a whole lot of benefits within the combat. I do know anybody I can hit, I can hit. I confirmed that in my final combat, I had Lipinets harm quite a few instances.
“I think in all my other fights, I’m always the same, so, depending on how he takes them and how he recovers, it’s going to be [put] on him. But I’m going to be there for the full 10 rounds, pushing for it, definitely.”
Davies Jr is a former British, Commonwealth and European tremendous light-weight champion. (Photograph by Alex Livesey/Getty Photographs)
One thing else Davies is pushing for is to place collectively a life past boxing. Initially he thought he would keep concerned in sports activities or transfer into private coaching however an unlikely different landed at his toes after a suggestion from his mom. She had initially been serving to out at a neighborhood meals financial institution and advised her son that there have been not sufficient youth employees within the space and ultimately he fell into it.
“I do a lot of work with kids that have been neglected,” he mentioned.
“I’ve been doing programs for years [and] I work with Ofsted (Workplace for Requirements in Schooling, Kids’s Companies and Abilities) and ensure children are getting handled accurately whether or not or not it’s due to neglect, whether or not or not it’s due to abuse. I began it as a result of I used to be doing it part-time on the native youth membership. The children at the moment are asking me to go and watch faculty footy matches and stuff like that. After which their dads inform the children, are you aware he’s a boxer? It’s escalated from there.
“At first I used to be solely doing it voluntary, as a result of my mum had one thing to do with the place, and I used to be simply serving to my mum out, and it’s simply went on from there. The individuals who’ve labored there, with out blowing my very own trumpet, have mentioned, you’re nice with them children, would you by no means take into consideration doing it? After which I began taking a look at it, however there was clearly a whole lot of {qualifications} that wanted to work with children, and being in boxing, I’ve had a lot free time for therefore a few years.
“I know working with kids, when I can help them, or just do that 1% that [it] might make something better for them. It’s rewarding as well.”
However Davies’ aggressive spirit by no means dies even when he’s enjoying soccer with the children.
“I’m like Ronaldo against a 10-year-old, and I’ll skinning them all,” he mentioned laughing.
In any stroll of life having one thing to fall again on is important. Shoot for the celebrities however guarantee one thing is there so that you can land on if you happen to miss the goal. Davies has received British and European super-lightweight titles and is now mixing it with former world title challengers and champions.
He has already started his stage 4 GNVQ in youngster social care which might take as much as two years to finish. Working with youthful people who’ve been dealt a harsh hand in life has opened Davies’ eyes up extra so than what he has seen in boxing.
“It’s endless how much you can do to help kids,” he mentioned.
“You don’t realise how some persons are struggling till you’re really there.
“It’s some sad stuff. No matter how much you can do, you will never help or fix them traumas but you can help with that 1%. It’s rewarding for yourself while working. Also, with the time needed and how much I have to do, I can obviously still do my boxing as well, which I still love, so it’s a good balance, what I’ve got at the moment.”
Davies is an lively presence whether or not you’re chatting with him over the telephone or in individual. It’s simple to see why a job in Baby Social Care would work out for somebody of his character and persona. However his life was moving into one other course just a few years in the past when the need to run marathons took over.
Having suffered a leg harm throughout his March 2023 bout towards Darragh Foley – leading to a 3rd spherical TKO win for the Irishman – Davies wanted time to get well. He predicted that he’d be again working the roads three months later, medical professionals thought in any other case.
A bored Robbie Davies clearly wants excessive cures and that August he accomplished his first marathon.
“I signed up for my first marathon on two and a half weeks’ notice, obviously not knowing what it takes to do a marathon,” he recalled. “I carried out Chester marathon and my physique simply fell to items.
“I had 60, 70-year-old fellas on the run, tapping me on the shoulder saying come on, young man, you can keep going. And I’m saying I’m f***ing dying here,” he laughed.
“From then I thought I’m going to proper get into this and then I done New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, back-to-back marathons. Then I done Manchester to Liverpool, 50 miles, ultra marathon. Then I done London, I’ve done a few now.”
Trying again on his profession Davies doesn’t imagine he’s underachieved however there’s a feeling inside him that he may have carried out higher. A dialog which prompted him to briefly burst into singing ‘Ooh La La’ by The Faces which options the road, ‘I wish that I knew what I know now…’.
“I remember when I was younger I was going on lads’ holidays every year, no other fighters were doing that,” Davies mentioned.
“They have been, strong, zoned into boxing. I in all probability loved my life. After which once I turned skilled and began zoning in a bit extra and received titles and stuff like that.
“If my career ended right now I’d probably say I was happy, but I’ll always have things hanging over me saying, I would have done this and I should have done that. But I reckon loads of fighters do that.”
