'Happier' Telford boxer Davies ready for boxing comeback
A Telford boxer has said he is ready to return to the ring as he prepares to resume his chase for a major world title.Liam Davies suffered his first career defeat to Shabaz Masoud last year, losing his International Boxing Organisation (IBO) super bantamweight title.Since then, the 29-year-old has moved up a weight and said he had a "new perspective" of the sport he loves."It feels like my second time around... first time, I probably didn't appreciate it as much as I should have," he told the BBC.
"I'd win and I'd never give myself a pat on the back, I was always on to the next thing, wanting more... you're never really happy, you're just chasing something instead of appreciating the now," he said."This time, in and out of boxing, I'm focussed on today."
Davies said he had treated the defeat as a life lesson and went back to basics, training with his dad at Donnington Boxing Club, the place where his career began. He returns to the ring in Nottingham on Saturday to face Irish Olympian Kurt Walker at featherweight.The former British and European champion said he had been avoiding social media and the drama that often surrounds the build-up to a fight.He said: "I'd read too much into that before, I'm quite an emotional person... sometimes you can get caught up in it - who cares what anyone has got to say?"I'm much better to be around, my wife says I'm happier and even my friends."To me, if I never win another fight, I've completed boxing, everything I wanted to do, I've done."Despite this, Davies said he was still "hungry"."I've got that belief - I've done it all before and I know I can do it again and that starts with Kurt Walker".
Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
30 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Duck or block your ears – cricket balls and church bells should be protected
So, no balls in Danbury nor bells in Mytholmroyd. Our councils are having a terrific summer of cancelling, banning and thwarting all things British, especially if they have a slight edge of eccentricity. This week's victims are a cricket team in Essex and the bells of a church in West Yorkshire with, as usual, the actions of the council craven and bowing to the howls of the minority. Danbury parish council didn't hesitate when word came from someone in the vicinity of the Dawson Memorial Field. This is a large patch of land in the village, which lies between Chelmsford and the coastal town of Maldon. There's a bowling green, tennis courts, a football pitch, a playground and a cricket wicket. And it was on May 17 when the incident occurred. It is logged that someone was 'hit by a cricket ball on leg whilst unloading/loading his car'. It was written up, not in the Danbury Cricket Club's scorebook, but in the incident log at the nearby leisure centre. A historical record detailing such instances as dog fouling and faulty locks in the lavatory facilities. The incident took place at 1pm, 10 minutes before play began that day – thus it was a stray ball that travelled during the warm up. And anyone who knows anything about village cricket will understand this involves the informal throwing of balls around the ground for catching practice or some gentle bowling at the opening batsmen. But as soon as Danbury's parish clerk, Michelle Harper, heard the news she acted with the steely force of Martin Brody in Jaws, the police chief who discovers evidence of a shark attack. Except she exerts rather more power than Brody – he was unable, at first, to close the beaches. Ms Harper, however, achieved a suspension of the cricket as confirmed by council chairman, April Chapman this week, who reported that 'a subsequent meeting decided to suspend cricket for three weeks until we had a report from our health and safety advisors as to what mitigations could be taken.' Play is still banned as I write. This weekend there is no leather bouncing off willow, no gentle ripples of applause, no frantic cries of 'yes', 'no', 'wait' or 'howzat'. And, worse, no cricket tea. Doubtless mitigation will suggest vast nets be purchased and installed to prevent further accidents and at a cost too vast for the club to muster… And all this because one unfortunate person, having parked his car, forgot to keep their eyes peeled for airborne cricket balls in spite of the clearest of warning signs. That is, some 22 middle-aged men limping around a field in white trousers and shirts and with an assortment of funny hats. The onus is on the car parker. Indeed, on many occasions when I've played cricket, it has been the aim of batters to attempt to hit sixes – not just for the runs, but in order to smash the windscreens of the flash idiots who have parked their expensive Land Rovers by the boundary. Yet eschewing tradition and common sense, the council rules in favour of the not-terribly-injured party. And while it's a limb in Essex, it's the ears of some locals in West Yorkshire. The bells of St Michael's church in Mytholmroyd have been stopped by order of Calderdale council, who has issued a noise abatement order silencing them until such a time as someone can figure out how to stop them chiming between 11pm and 7am. The Victorian church installed its bells in 1875 when a new clock was unveiled. They were cast by Mears of London and commissioned after a huge fundraising effort to raise £650. On May 29 of that year, at precisely five minutes to six in the evening, one Mrs Ridehough set the clock in motion to the applause of the assembled fund-raising committee. And since that day, four quarter bells have chimed every 15 minutes with another bell tolling on the hour. Until now. Until some whinger, in the birthplace of poet Ted Hughes, found sympathy in a council pen pusher who decided to silence them. The cost of installing a device to prevent the night-time bells will doubtless be prohibitive. While those who found the church chimes comforting, who revel in this mad little sound of England, have their sensibilities ignored. Perhaps the complainers should find somewhere else to live, somewhere altogether more modern and, possibly, rather warmer than Mytholmroyd with its above average rainfall due to the precipitation-inducing Pennines. They could pop off to the Middle East with its gleaming buildings and sunshine. And, oh, the frightful din of the muezzins shrieking out their calls to prayer five times a day from dawn to dusk.
The Guardian
31 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Jordie Barrett helps Leinster cruise past the Bulls and win URC grand final
Leinster lifted their first trophy since 2021 after a convincing 32-7 United Rugby Championship grand final win over the Bulls at Croke Park on Saturday. The wet weather failed to deter an attendance of 46,127 – a record for a league decider in Ireland – as they became the first table-topping team to win the title in the URC era. Despite Jamison Gibson-Park's pre-match withdrawal, Leinster roared into a 19-0 half-time lead with tries from Jack Conan, Jordie Barrett and Josh van der Flier. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion Beaten finalists in 2022 and 2024, the Pretoria-based Bulls crossed in the 50th minute through the replacement Akker van der Merwe to cancel out a Sam Prendergast penalty. Prendergast took his haul to 10 points and the replacement Fintan Gunne's closing try was fittingly converted by the Gloucester-bound Ross Byrne. Conan pointed the way for the hosts with a fifth-minute try, crashing over after an initial maul and Prendergast quickly converted. The departing Barrett got his right boot to Luke McGrath's deft dink in the 13th minute, opening up the Bulls' backfield to brilliantly score beside the posts. Van der Flier emerged through a maul to make it 19-0, as penalties continued to prove costly for the Bulls. The South Africans finally got some momentum, battering away before Willie le Roux was guilty of a poor kick and then a forward pass. Although Prendergast opened the second-half scoring, the visitors hit back when Van der Merwe drove over for Johan Goosen to convert. It remained 22-7 with Leinster failing to capitalise on a tap penalty, while Prendergast pushed another one wide. The young fly-half was back on target in the 67th minute and Gunne then scored from a neat wraparound move – a fine finish to the campaign for Leinster's 12 British and Irish Lions representatives.
BBC News
32 minutes ago
- BBC News
Smith's brace helps Leeds beat Wolves
Betfred Super LeagueLeeds (8) 36Tries: Smith (2), Croft, Holroyd, Connor, Gannon Goals: Connor (5), WatkinsWarrington (0) 12Tries: Thewlis, Currie Goals: Sneyd (2) A rare brace of tries from forward Cameron Smith set Leeds Rhinos on their way to a fourth straight Super League win, piling on the misery for Challenge Cup final losers Warrington came off the interchange bench to break down some strong Wire defence in the first half, and with the in-form Jake Connor adding the conversion and a penalty, the home side had breathing space at Wolves' spirited performance fell apart in the second half as Smith added another and tries from Brodie Croft, Tom Holroyd, Connor and Morgan Gannon ensured they stayed in touch with top two Hull Kingston Rovers and Wigan Warriors.A superb try from Jake Thewlis had given Warrington brief hope, Ben Currie added a late consolation score and Marc Sneyd's two conversions saw him overhaul Andy Farrell to go fourth in the all-time Super League kickers' list with 1,027 to follow Leeds: Miller, Hall, Newman, Handley, Lumb, Connor, Croft, Palasia, O'Connor, Oledski, McDonnell, Gannon, WatkinsInterchanges: Holroyd, Lisone, Bentley, SmithWarrington: Thewlis, Lindop, Tai, King, Wrench, Williams, Sneyd, Yates, Powell, Vaughan, Fitzgibbon, Holroyd, CurrieInterchanges: Harrison, Crowther, Philbin, WoodReferee: Chris Kendall.
