OHARA Davies has mapped out a route towards world honours, keeping his lofty ambitions intact while also targeting a new weight class.
The 33-year-old announced his retirement last year, shortly after losing to Adam Azim, but has since pencilled in an unexpected return next month.
It was an eighth-round stoppage defeat last October that saw him hang up the gloves, with rising super-lightweight star Azim proving too dynamic for the spiteful puncher.
Instead of remaining at 140lbs, though, Davies, 25-4 (18 KOs) – who has made the same weight throughout most of his career – will now test the waters at 147lbs.
For his comeback fight, the Londoner is gearing up to face limited operator Mohamed Aliseni on June 13, featuring on an Amir Khan-promoted show in Accra, Ghana.
But while it is just an eight-round contest to begin with, Davies nonetheless expects to be competing at world championship level sooner rather than later.
Initially, ‘Two Tanks’ intends to see how the body feels at welterweight, before jumping up in a bid to face any of the top dogs at 154lbs.
“The domestic scene is good, but I’d like to go past it and see if I can get to world level at this weight class [super-welterweight],” Davies told Boxing News.
“I truly believe that I can get there; I just need a bit of time. I’m a bit of a name right now, so for me to climb up the rankings, and get those big fights, it shouldn’t be too hard.
“There’s a WBC African title now, so if I could win that, and get in the WBC rankings, then that would be great.
“The harder the fight, the better. I’d like to see where I can get to when I’m fighting at my full strength.”
With Sebastian Fundora holding the green and gold strap at 154lbs, the competition, it is fair to say, remains tremendously stern at the top level.
Given that the WBC champion appears to be entering a rematch with Tim Tszyu, too, it is unlikely that Davies will be presented with any easy options.
Yet still, after years of boiling himself down to super-lightweight, the Hackney man looks forward to enjoying a less restrictive diet and, in turn, greater energy during his training camps.
“Now I can eat; I ain’t got to starve myself,” he added. “I don’t have to go to bed hungry every night, and feel angry for no reason.
“I wasn’t even counting down the days, I was counting down the hours and minutes [before making weight].
“That was the first fight, then I’d have to fight to get my strength back, and then, after all of that, I would have the actual fight.”
