The champagne corks were popping at a Telford boxing club at the weekend after punching protege Liam Davies delivered a major boxing title.
The 13-year-old Donnington Sports and Social Club fighter capped a dream season with comprehensive victory over Repton’s Obe Coates in the final of the ABA schoolboy championships, under 38 kilo class.
And an army of local fight fans travelled to Brentwood Leisure Centre to watch Davies, son of pro prospect Tristan, glide to 5-2 victory over the East End southpaw.
It was a win sealed in the first two rounds, with Coates badly hurt in the second and bleeding profusely from the nose.
Trailing 4-1, Obe went for broke in the last, but by then the fight had slipped from
his gloved fists Nationally, Donnington is regarded as something of a minnow in the sport, but three times the outfit has upset the title aspirations of mighty Repton, a breeding ground for champs.
James Boyd beat the club’s Stephen Hunt in a schoolboy final, Tristan Davies upset Darren Barker in a senior ABA semi-final, now Liam has turned the trick.
Elated Liam said afterwards: “I was really nervous before the fight – I just wanted it so badly and I didn’t want to let anyone down. He was the toughest I’ve fought, no doubt about that. He just kept coming and coming.
“But the England coach came to me afterwards and said I was definitely in the squad for the Four Nations (a tournament between the best of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland), so that’s my next target.”
He added: “I want a lot out of boxing. I want the senior ABA title that my dad didn’t get and I want to be a world champion.”
Davies, at this stage, looks a rare talent. He clinically dissected Coates, landing heavy shots to head and body before showing his defensive ability in the last. It capped a dominant display on the title trail. In all, Davies has fought eight times and, in all those bouts, only a handful of scoring punches have been landed against him.
There may have been sweat in the gym, but the contests themselves have proved a
cakewalk. Little Liam isn’t the first Telford fighter to lift a major amateur honour, but surely no other local boxer has so dominated his weight division.
His early rise to championship status is hardly surprising. In boxing, money talks, but blood always has the last word – and Davies was certainly born with boxing in his blood: dad Tristan is a former pro champion, granddad Brian, a former fighter, runs Donnington ABC.
It would have been no surprise had he been born wearing gloves.
Proud Tristan, who represented Wales and reached the ABA senior finals during a glittering amateur career, said: “Liam’s going to be better than me – without doubt. “He started boxing earlier and has the back-up in the gym that I didn’t. He’s done really well, but there’s more to come.”
Brian Davies echoed the sentiments.
“Liam’s here to stay – all we’ve got to do is keep up the commitment levels. He can hit and has a boxing brain to go with it.”
He added: “This is the first title, it won’t be the last.”