Liam Davies banking on a home win

Having previously captured the English and WBC International Silver crowns, Davies is in search of his third professional belt when he faces Marc Leach at the Telford International Centre on Saturday.

The pair are headlining Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions event and a confident Davies is adamant that he will be taking the belt home.

When asked about his opponent Leach, Davies said: “He’s tricky and moves his head well. He pops and runs and he’s awkward, but I want to take the title off a champion, that’s the best way to do it.

“Marc is the toughest test of my career on paper because he’s the British champion, so I’ll give him that, but I know that I’ve done enough to win.

“Someone like him will bring the best out of me. When someone ups their game, I up mine. I’m mad hungry for it.

“This is fate. I’m living the life I’m meant to live and there’s nothing he (Leach) can really do but turn up with his belt, for me.

“I just want to win. I’m going in there to win by any means necessary and do what I have to.

“I have no doubt at all that I will win. I have never been so confident about anything in my life.

“I’ve put the work in and learned. I’ve done everything right and there’s no excuses from my side.”

Having now permanently moved up to super-bantamweight, Davies was due to fight earlier in the year until a shoulder injury kept him sidelined. He added: “I’d have preferred to get in there a lot sooner. Some people don’t understand, I don’t work another job, this is my career.

“You only get one shot at a boxing career and I don’t want to be wasting time out of the ring. I felt like I was wasting it.

“But I kept my training up and now I have to focus and look forward. I have a British title fight, in my home town, as the main event on BT, so I’ve landed on my feet and I’m taking the positives.

“Camp has gone really well. It’s been a long one and I’ve been training for a long time. Even when I couldn’t punch with my arm I was still running, so I’m very fit at the minute.

“I know everyone says it but it’s definitely the best shape I’ve been in. My diet is going well, I have a nutritionist on board and I’m doing everything properly.

“I won the English title in 2020 and in those two years I’ve been doing a lot of strength and conditioning and I’m a fully grown super-bantamweight now.

“Unless something major comes up at bantamweight, I’m focused here and I will be British champion – and I want the European next.”

Davies was twice set to face undefeated fighter Andrew Cain, until illness to Cain postponed it the first time and Davies’ injury put an end to it the second time.

However, the 26-year-old expects they will meet further down the line.

He said: “That fight will happen, it’s just when.

“I hear he’s moving down to bantamweight but I’m not going down. It’s not far off my weight still so I’m sure the fight will happen because it’s been built up now.

“It’s there to be made. I don’t see any reason why we don’t make it happen.”

But focused on tonight’s fight, Davies is intent on making his dreams come true and keep Telford the home of some of the biggest boxing events.

“It’s going to be the perfect night for me,” he added. “As long as I turn up on the night and do the business, I can’t see it going any other way.

“If I win, I set a pathway for the young up-and-comers. My brother Brad (Thompson) and other boxers that want to do it.

“It will then keep boxing in Telford. We sell the place out and won’t have to travel for these big events any more, they’ll come to us.

“A lot of the local fighters are all under Frank’s banner, but the best one isn’t yet, which confuses me – and that’s Brad.

“But we’ll get there. If I keep winning and bringing the shows here, then it’s good for all of us, including Macauley (Owen) and Raheem (Muhammad).”