FOR ISHMAEL DAVIS, a shot at British honours could arrive soon after his super-welterweight showdown with Caoimhin Agyarko this Saturday.
The pair will square off at Windsor Park, Belfast, in what promises to deliver an explosive, but no less strategic, battle on the undercard of Lewis Crocker vs Paddy Donovan 2.
Ahead of their encounter, Davis, 13-2 (6 KOs), has already dipped his toe into the treacherous waters of world level, albeit while suffering a sixth-round stoppage defeat to Serhii Bohachuk.
He did, however, take that bold assignment on obscenely short notice, much like he did before locking horns with domestic rival Josh Kelly just a few months earlier.
But despite coming off back-to-back losses, ‘The Black Panther’ has put himself in pole position to challenge for the vacant Lonsdale Belt at 154lbs.
In fact, he was previously ordered to face Sam Gilley, the mandatory challenger to the British title, only to then enter an equally appealing matchup against Agyarko, 17-0 (7 KOs).
But still, regardless of the result this Saturday, Davis should nonetheless have a fight lined up for either later this year or early 2026.
“I spoke to Tom Dallas from Matchroom,” the 30-year-old told Boxing News, “and he said, ‘Look, you can fight Sam Gilley first, but you’ll have to wait. Or you can fight Caoimhin, and then Sam Gilley.’
“I never say no to anything. I just need to do the job at hand and then I can focus on Sam Gilley if that [fight] comes.”
Indeed, Davis’ full focus remains firmly on Agyarko, who reignited his career earlier this year with a points victory over Ryan Kelly.
Prior to that, the Belfast man had almost been left in the wilderness, unable to secure a meaningful fight while his otherwise steady trajectory began to stagnate.
Yet despite his talent, Davis remains convinced that Agyarko, based largely on the rounds they shared a few years ago, offers very little threat to his career.
“I sparred him and gave him hell,” Davis claims. “This is a fact – one thing I never do is lie. My trainer got a call saying, ‘Look, can you tell Ish to just calm down so we can get through the rounds?’
“Caoimhin was complaining so, in the second spar, we just had a little move around. I think we sparred three or four rounds. But I know all about Caoimhin, and just want to prove it on the night.”
