Irish star backed to bounce back as ex-world champ tells of being 'rock bottom'

Irish Daily Mirror

11-05-2025

Kurt Walker is backing himself to bounce back from his first career defeat after losing to former IBO world super bantamweight champion Liam Davies.
The Lisburn man gave it his all and produced a performance to be proud of as he went 12 rounds for the first time in Nottingham, losing via unanimous decision.
'Experience let me down," said Walker afterwards as he admitted: "I learned a lot."
'The start wasn't working. I was able to change, not many people can do that, so I've done my first 12 rounds. Maybe pacing it wrong at the start and just doing the wrong things at the wrong time just let me down, I think."
The Tokyo Olympian grew into the contest after Davies put him under pressure early on and showed his quality amateur pedigree as he ducked and dived and landed punches on the counter.
The three judges scored the bout 117-111, 115-113 and 116-112, the first and last of which looked tough on Walker, who moves to 12-1 following the bout, while Davies is now 17-1, having won the IBF International featherweight title with the victory.
'12 rounds is hard. He was good, he was simple, but good with them long arms," added Walker. "I thought I'd be able to deal with it on the boxing side, but he's done very well.
"He was far better than his last defeat, because he didn't fall for the same mistakes, but it's a fight I learned from."
Walker's manager Jamie Conlan echoed the words of his fighter, saying: "We didn't envision it at the start, that Kurt Walker was going to press Liam Davies back and have the more success, and he did. When he was pressing the action, he was the one having success.
"At distance, Davies' reach and his punch output was winning him the exchanges. It's the first 12-rounder, first time being in the away corner. A lot of firsts tonight and his first loss as a professional, but one that he can really build on and not be disgraced about.
"It's not the end of the world at all, definitely not. He took a big opportunity here, it didn't work out tonight, but hopefully in the long term, it's more beneficial to him than what another routine points win would have been at home. He sort of showed what he's all about."
An emotional Davies also paid tribute to the 30-year-old as he reflected on what had been a tough period for him after suffering his first defeat to Shabaz Masoud last November.
"I went from on top of the world last year to rock bottom," said the Englishman, who moved up to featherweight for the bout. "I had hard times and I had to cry to my wife, she knows what I've been through and I'm proud of myself for showing up and showing out, keeping it all bottled inside to dig in tonight and that's why I'm going to be a world champion again."
He added on his opponent: "Very impressed with Kurt Walker, didn't expect as tough a fight as I got but I've got to give full credit to him.
"He should be proud of himself and I've been there, I had my first loss and he can come back.
"We're all humans, we have to take losses, not just in boxing, in sport, in general life and you have to dig in and find a way through it, you have to keep going till you see light at the end of the tunnel and that's what I've done these last six months.
"I ain't spoke on it much, I kept it in and I've done myself proud tonight. It's not the best performance but I'm proud of myself."