IT IS NOT often that two athletes, both from the same area of deprivation, are able to make a sizable difference in their local community.
But despite that being a rarity, Ishmael Davis – who takes on Caoimhin Agyarko next week – and Micah Richards, a former Manchester City defender and esteemed pundit, have nonetheless emerged as sources of inspiration to the younger generation of Chapeltown, Leeds.
Through boxing and football, two sports that resonate deeply with working-class families, their respective success stories offer not just encouragement but examples of how lives can be drastically improved.
For Davis, 13-2 (6 KOs), though, it is not necessarily the financial rewards that motivate him to keep striving for greatness.
“The money is nice, but I just want to become a great boxer,” the 30-year-old told Boxing News.
“When you come from a place that I’ve come from, and you have the upbringing that I’ve had, you develop habits. A lot of people in my area have habits – bad habits.
“And when you’re trying to change your life, it’s sometimes hard to change your habits – that’s the hardest part.
“But now, I understand what it takes. I’m my own person – there’s no outside noise – and I’m not doing anything for other people. I just know who I am and what I want to be.
“I grew up around poverty, gangs and people who were on the wrong path. And you’re around them every day, so it’s not like I ever saw someone with a real job, unless I was at school with teachers.”
Sharing these experiences was none other than Richards, whose now glamorous lifestyle pales in comparison to the hardship he endured throughout his upbringing.
“Micah Richards is from my area, and it’s only really me and him who are doing something positive in a sporting sense,” Davis continued.
“Them guys are like family. He [Richards] messages me all the time, and I speak to his brother all the time. I grew up with them.
“I messaged him the other day, because I’d seen that video of him running into the crowd with a bottle of Jager in his hand [during a DJ set performed by Joleon Lescott, another former City defender].
“We just have jokes, and he wishes me well on my fights. We come from a hard place, and it takes a lot to get out of there.”
In his last two outings – against Josh Kelly and Serhii Bohachuk, both of which he took short notice – Davis showed, perhaps in the most convincing way possible, that he is never afraid to take risks.
But that level of tenacity, it seems, has always represented a key component of his mentality.
“My brother, Oshea, is around two years older than me, but if anyone was messing with him when we were kids, I was always the little one trying to fight the older ones,” Davis recalls.
“I’ve always been someone that’s a bit forward, and I’ll take risks. There’s no shame in taking a risk. And I’m not one of them guys that lets it get to me when I lose. I just keep on pushing forward.”
He did, of course, suffer defeats to both Kelly and Bohachuk last year, but nonetheless gave strong enough performances to keep himself in the shop window.
And sure enough, it was not long before a meaningful opportunity arrived in the form of a showdown against Agyarko, with their alluring matchup featuring on the undercard of Lewis Crocker vs Paddy Donovan 2.
But while most will deem their encounter to be a 50/50 clash, Davis firmly believes that he boasts a psychological edge over his opponent.
“I won’t get into it, because I don’t like talking about things that other people have told me in confidence, but there’s loads of stories in gyms about his [Agyarko’s] character – he’s nervous,” ‘The Black Panther’ claims.
“The way he talks about himself in third person; he’s not that guy.
“He’s not fully confident in himself. There’s sparring stories, and stories of him turning down fights. There’s a reason why he’s not got a promoter.
“Since I’ve been with Matchroom [his promoter], all I’ve said is ‘Yes’. I ain’t no nervous guy.”
Indeed, Davis has never exposed himself as a mentally fragile individual, but rather someone who has overcome a series of adversities to reach this stage in his career.
