Frank Warren exclusive: “Liam Davies is an exciting fighter”
From the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia to the York Hall in East London with a stop over in Liverpool, October was a busy, successful month for Hall of Fame promoter, Frank Warren.
This weekend, the show moves on to Birmingham for the latest appearance of exciting super bantamweight, Liam Davies, and 32Red caught up with Warren for a rundown of all things Queensberry. For all the latest fight odds, visit our sportsbook.
“Wardley has arrived on the scene”
Last month, British heavyweight champion, Fabio Wardley, made himself one of the hottest properties in a thriving heavyweight division by knocking out Frazer Clarke within the opening round of their eagerly awaited rematch.
Wardley and Clarke went to war in February, battling to a memorable draw. Most expected the rematch to be just as closely fought but the fight was over before it had begun.
Heavyweight knockouts tend to stay in the memory and Wardley’s brutal, frightening finish of Clarke was a real star-making moment.
“Wasn’t it just? That was a real announcement. He’s arrived on the scene,” Warren told 32Red.
“He’s got a great personality. He’s very articulate and he’s a nice bloke.
“When you think about Fabio’s background. The fact that he had no amateur fights apart from the few white collar ones. It’s a bit of a feat what he’s done against a guy who won a medal at the Olympics.
“The important thing now is to take our time and not rush. We’ll get him the right fights that’s for sure.
“Look back at his win over David Adeleye. Adeleye wasn’t a bad amateur and had done alright as a pro. He had far, far more experience that Fabio had had, that’s for sure.”
Wardley’s win gave Queensberry another major player in the heavyweight division. With Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua all in their mid-thirties, the division is about to enter a brand new era.
“I said we’d take over the heavyweight division”
IBF heavyweight champion, Daniel Dubois, looks like being a significant factor for years to come and Warren has spent years putting a succession plan in place.
By beating Clarke, Wardley joined Dubois, Moses Itauma and Lawrence Okolie in the next group of potential British superstars.
“When we went to BT, I told them we’d take over the heavyweight division,” Warren said. “I’d got Tyson Fury and he came back and won a heavyweight title.
“We signed Daniel Dubois ten years ago. I told them that we had this kid who I definitely felt could go places so that was part of the plan. The same with Moses. We were sponsoring him for two years before he turned professional.”
Whilst Itauma will aim to round out a successful 2024 by beating Australia’s Demsey McKean on December 21st, Dubois has enjoyed an incredible year. Knocking out Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua in spectacular style earned Dubois the IBF heavyweight title and put him in pole position to claim Fighter of the Year honours.
His closest rival for the award may well prove to be Liverpool’s WBA featherweight champion, Nick Ball, who has also enjoyed a stunning twelve months. It has been a remarkable year for Warren’s stable.
“I agree 100%. Look at the amount of top quality fights those two have had and trainer of the year? Don Charles or Paul Stevenson. One of those two,” Warren said.
“We have the best group of fighters”
“I’m not just talking about British boxing. I would think we have the best group of fighters at Queensberry than anywhere else in the world. We’ve got youngsters coming through. We’ve got champions. We’ve got guys on the verge.”
This weekend, Liam Davies will aim to prove that he belongs right at the top of the Queensberry pecking order when he defends his IBO super bantamweight title against his old amateur rival, the unbeaten Shabaz Masoud in Birmingham.
Davies has been one of British boxing’s most exciting fighters over the past 18 months and has hoovered up the English, British and European titles. He now finds himself on the verge of the big time. Japanese superstar, Naoya Inoue, holds all four of the major belts at 122lbs but if he can beat Masoud, Davies will put himself directly in the mix for some major fights.
Providing he comes through this weekend, Warren is ready to move him onto the big stage.
“He’s a very good fighter. He’s got to come through this,” Warren said. “This is going to be an interesting fight. If he does come through it – which I hope and expect that he does – he’s going to be the next one.
“He’s an exciting little sod too. He can fight. He’s won three titles and look how quickly he’s done it. I know people will say, ‘Well, it’s the IBO title’ but he’s got that title because Inoue has got the other four belts. He’s a very exciting fighter.”
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