Will it be third time lucky for Lewis Ritson?
When he climbs through the ropes at his beloved Utilita Arena on Saturday against Ohara Davies it will be more than just Newcastle v London or quiet Geordie family-man v crafty Cockney, it will be world title eliminator number three for ‘The Sandman’.
It is a seriously good and incredibly difficult to predict World Boxing Association light-welterweight championship shoot-out between the fourth-rated Ritson and Davies, who is positioned at two.
Unlike the Tommy Ward v Otabek Kholmatov featherweight confrontation on the same bill, the WBA have NOT attached the word ‘final’ attached to its eliminator status, but its importance is crucial.
In terms of previous appearances at this level, the score stands at 1-1 for the 29-year-old Forest Hall hero.
In October 2019, he was a unanimous points winner against Robbie Davies Jnr in a fight of the year contender in their WBA eliminator at the Utilita Arena, before being stopped in 10 rounds by the excellent Argentine, Jeremias Ponce, in an IBF clash around the corner at the Vertu (Eagles) Arena in June 2021.
Covid’s horrible shadow may have got in the way after the ‘Bad Blood’ win over Davies Jnr and the fists of Ponce put paid to his IBF aspirations.
“Hopefully,” was the answer from Lewis to a question from SecondsOut.com whether it will be third time lucky for him.
“When we beat Robbie Davies there was lots of talk of Josh Taylor at St James’s Park but it never came off and we both went different routes.
“We’re back with the WBA again and we’ve got a hard job in front of us.
“It is make or break for both of us at this level.
“I do believe me or Ohara would win a European title tomorrow, but this is the level we are looking to win at and I think whoever loses on Saturday night will have a lot to think about on Sunday morning.”
Click here to watch the full SecondsOut interview with Ritson.
It’s a really hard one to call between two boxers with impressive and very similar records – Ritson’s log is 23-2 compared to 24-2 for Davies, with ‘Two Tanks’ ahead by 17-13 in the stoppage stats.
Davies certainly carries some ammunition but so too does Ritson, who has one of the best jabs in the business.
The Geordie has come back well since the Ponce set-back, with a ninth-round stoppage of Mexico’s Christian Uruzquita followed by a wide 10-round points victory over Dejan Zlaticanin exactly 12 months ago.
The first win was very much old ‘Sandman’ while the second was a combination of old and the Ritson we saw during his time under coach Neil Fannan.
“I think there will be a bit of both [on Saturday],” the Davy Ritson-trained boxer told SecondsOut.
“We’ve just got to do what we need to do to win.
“Ohara can punch but he’s got a bit quit in him and that’s what we’re hoping to bring out.”
Tickets are still available with the event set to get under way with the undercard bouts at 5pm.
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: Mark Robinson/ Matchroom
