The best of me beats the best of him.
Troy Williamson’s prediction ahead of his British championship eliminator with Ishmael Davis in Sheffield.
The two top light-middleweights collide on the Matchroom event which is screened by DAZN and is headlined by Sandy Ryan v Terri Harper and Dalton Smith v Jose Zepeda.
Given punch-lines knows Williamson and Davis, this site could be accused of a little bias, but this Darlington v Leeds duel has the makings of the fight of the night at Sheffield Arena.
“Fireworks,” predicted ‘Trojan’, who has his focus on regaining the British title he lost to Josh Kelly in December 2022.
“I respect his team, I respect Ishmael – we’re very similar people I think outside the ring.
“We’re family men and we train hard and dedicate our lives to the sport.
“On Saturday night we put friendship aside and get down to business.”
The business could get brutal – Williamson boasts a 20-2-1 record, with 14 of those wins coming early while undefeated Davis has stopped half of his victims in a 12-bout winning streak.
The Darlington 32-year-old (pictured right) has certainly operated in the higher echelons, his wins including Ted Cheeseman, Mason Cartwright, Kieran Smith and Harry Scarff.
He believes he is en-route to another tilt at the British title.
“I’ve only lost twice in 23 fights to two elite fighters in Josh Kelly and Caoimhin Agyarko,” said the Craig Carney-trained fighter, who knows his rival well given extensive sparring sessions in the past.
“I feel fit and strong and on the road again to becoming a two-time British champion.
“I’ve proven that I can go to the deep waters, he hasn’t yet.
“Going off the sparring, I know he’s a warrior like me.
“Everyone watching is in for a treat, it’s going to be a great fight.
“I know how tough he is, how slick he is, but I believe the best of me beats the best of him and I’ll show that on Saturday night.”
Davis, quite naturally, takes the opposite view.
His break-out fight came in Newcastle last year when he stopped Jarrow’s Ewan Mackenzie in a terrific tussle. The 28-year-old aims to build on that here.
“I respect Troy,” said Ishmael. “He’s my boy. But for 12 rounds we’re going to go to war, and I just feel that I am a better boxer.
“You need to put a KO bonus up because there’s going to be one, I tell you.
“From the sparring, like he said, it’s been nothing but fireworks, people would pay to watch them.
“But it’s a long time since we sparred and I haven’t left the gym, so I am looking to put on a good show and prove my worth.
“Boxing is not just about engine; you need a brain as well and that’s what I’ll be using on Saturday. I’ve got the engine anyway, that’s standard, every boxer should be fit and I’m always in the gym, so if we need to go into deep waters, I’ll be ready to go into deep waters for 12 rounds.
“There’s only one winner and that’s me.”
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: Mark Robinson/ Matchroom Boxing
