Ohara Davies played the pantomime villain, not for the first time in his career, by turning up in Newcastle this week wearing a Manchester United shirt.
On Saturday he intends to be the bad guy on Tyneside by ending the world title dreams of Lewis Ritson by beating the Geordie star in the WBA light-welterweight championship eliminator.
The 31-year-old Londoner has predicted victory inside “five or six rounds” at the Utilita Arena in what looks a cracking contest between two of this country’s best fighters at 10 stones.
Rarely shy and never short on self-belief, the Londoner has no doubts in a match between two almost-identically matched rivals – his record is 24-2, with 17 wins inside the distance, while Ritson is 23-2 with 13 early victories.
“I’m always confident in my fights, especially when I’ve worked hard,” said the Hackney fighter who had no qualms about leaving London Town for the Toon.
“I’ve had a very good camp this time around so I’m confident I’ll get the job done.
“Lewis Ritson hasn’t shown anything that I shouldn’t be able to handle so I reckon I’ll pass this test with flying colours.
“He’s got a puncher’s chance, if he catches me in the right place at the right time.
“You look at Liam Smith against Chris Eubank Jnr, Junior was up in the fight then Smith caught him with a lucky shot.
“Everyone has a puncher’s chance and Lewis has that, but I don’t see him beating me.
“As for boxing away, I’ve done it loads of times, I’m used to it. I’ll get the job done in the ring.”
Davies says he admires ‘The Sandman’ “as a person” and likes his dad, Davy, but is not that impressed with him as a boxer.
He even brushes aside comparisons of their records, each have only lost twice, Ritson in a European title challenge with Francesco Patera and to Jeremias Ponce in a world title eliminator, while the Londoner’s sole defeats have been to great Britons, Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall.
“The difference is that I was beaten by top champions and he got beaten by absolute bums,” said the boxer known as ‘Two Tanks’.
Davies claimed that Ritson struggled to make the 140lb limit for their tasty domestic clash.
“I made the weight properly, he hasn’t,” he said. “He looks f*cked, did you see his skin, his eyes, the way he carried himself? He’s f*cked.
“As much as I talk some sh*t and he doesn’t, I’ve made the weight properly, I’m a true athlete, I’m a professional, I work my arse off and he doesn’t.
“That will show in the ring. This is the end of the road for him.
“When I’m focused, no-one will beat me, and he’s not going to beat me on Saturday night.”
The show has two WBA world championship eliminators with Ritson’s former team-mate at the Neil Fannan gym, Tommy Ward, up against Florida-based Uzbekistan puncher, Otabek Kholmatov, at featherweight.
The headline contests are part of a 10-fight card promoted by North-East fight figure Phil Jeffries. Doors open at 4.30pm with the undercard due to start at 5pm.
Words: Roy Kelly
