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Unbeaten Azim to fight Davies in October

Adam Azim will take on fellow English light-welterweight Ohara Davies at the Copper Box Arena in London on 19 October.

Azim, 22, places his undefeated record on the line against 32-year-old Davies.

He won the European title in 2023, his first senior title, but says he wants to step up to world level.

"I'm ready to make a statement and show everybody that I’m ready for the biggest names in the division," Azim said.

"Our styles will make for an exciting fight but there’s only going to be one outcome."

Boxxer promoter Ben Shalom continues to tout Azim as the next big British talent, describing him as one of the "brightest young stars in world boxing".

Azim was set to fight Harlem Eubank but, after the fight was confirmed with a face-off in April, no date ever materialised.

Hackney fighter Davies has three defeats on his record, including to Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall, and comes into the Azim bout on the back of a loss to Ismael Barroso in January.

Davies, however, will be looking to stop the Azim ascent and get back to winning ways.

"It's a shame that I have to hand him his first defeat," Davies said.

"No needle, no hate, I want us to go back to our families happy and healthy after the fight. But this is where it all changes for him.

"I'm sorry Adam. This is where it ends."

OD gets splattered again

Your telling me the Harlem fight wasn't made and Shalom used it as a diversion to duck Smith llf

handsofstone wrote: ↑04 Sep 2024, 11:37 Your telling me the Harlem fight wasn't made and Shalom used it as a diversion to duck Smith llf

It feels like Shalom is completely out of his depth.

keithmoonhangover wrote: ↑04 Sep 2024, 12:08

handsofstone wrote: ↑04 Sep 2024, 11:37 Your telling me the Harlem fight wasn't made and Shalom used it as a diversion to duck Smith llf

It feels like Shalom is completely out of his depth.

Still bizarre that Sky gave him the keys to boxing out of nowhere

They are starting to look like duckers. First Dalt Smith and now Harlem Eubank. Ohara is poor and might have the worst footwork in boxing. He will barely throw a punch here I'd say and will likely get shredded up from range by the long straighter shots of Azim. Azim is losing any goodwill he ever had with these ducks. He was skating on thin ice having had the worlds worst boxing entrance of all time with some crap singer taking a lifetime to get through a song for a grand entrance for fighting a very low level opponent. You can be liked or disliked by the fans and Azim is on thin ice already as I said. Nothing other than a good job on Ohara is acceptable and no more crap fights after this.

handsofstone wrote: ↑04 Sep 2024, 12:42

keithmoonhangover wrote: ↑04 Sep 2024, 12:08

handsofstone wrote: ↑04 Sep 2024, 11:37 Your telling me the Harlem fight wasn't made and Shalom used it as a diversion to duck Smith llf

It feels like Shalom is completely out of his depth.

Still bizarre that Sky gave him the keys to boxing out of nowhere

there is/was a great thread on another forum which made a very compelling argument with plenty of evidence that shalom massively lied about his success in previous ventures, wonder if he managed to con them

It's very suspect. Up pops this young guy who is being given a lot of power in boxing. Plenty of things that raise alarm bells. It certainly makes you wonder.

Did not see this fight coming. OD is not an active fighter, 5 fights in 4 years. I am a big fan and he has real power, and I do feel he got lobbed under the bus by MR, this feels a bit of a cash out fight for OD, but I really hope I am wrong.

handsofstone wrote: ↑04 Sep 2024, 12:42

keithmoonhangover wrote: ↑04 Sep 2024, 12:08

handsofstone wrote: ↑04 Sep 2024, 11:37 Your telling me the Harlem fight wasn't made and Shalom used it as a diversion to duck Smith llf

It feels like Shalom is completely out of his depth.

Still bizarre that Sky gave him the keys to boxing out of nowhere

Wasserman would have been a better option, but I think Kalle's reputation for partying might have frightened them off.

Hard sell fighting someone coming off a first round stoppage. Still think its a good fight if Ohara isnt shot from it.

Confirmed now

keithmoonhangover wrote: ↑05 Sep 2024, 04:53

handsofstone wrote: ↑04 Sep 2024, 12:42

keithmoonhangover wrote: ↑04 Sep 2024, 12:08

It feels like Shalom is completely out of his depth.

Still bizarre that Sky gave him the keys to boxing out of nowhere

Wasserman would have been a better option, but I think Kalle's reputation for partying might have frightened them off.

Kalle is also up to his neck in the Misfits scene, which to my reckoning should lead to an automatic suspension of his BBBoC licence!

Ohara will get sparked, quick time. Azim will have far too much speed and Davies is now looking shop-worn and ropey, which is a shame as he had some talent and ability.

Would love it, if he won but not sure that will happen.

Davies looked terrible against Barroso, but for some reason I saw it as the occasion got to him, rather than looking shot.

I have this a closer fight on paper than most, and see this as a step up for Azim.

Had he not been so inactive/ducked Smith/fannied about with the Eubank fight then I'd see nothing wrong with this fight at all.

magnus wrote: ↑05 Sep 2024, 13:51 Davies looked terrible against Barroso, but for some reason I saw it as the occasion got to him, rather than looking shot.

I have this a closer fight on paper than most, and see this as a step up for Azim.

Had he not been so inactive/ducked Smith/fannied about with the Eubank fight then I'd see nothing wrong with this fight at all.

me too, I think it is a good fight for Azim, Davies had a bad performance but he doesn't seem shot.

OD has not been interested in Boxing for years. He’s taking this fight as it’s a pension top up, which is fair enough. I don’t expect this to be competitive at all, and if it is then Azim is nowhere near the talent being advertised.

Manchester Hitman wrote: ↑05 Sep 2024, 23:23 OD has not been interested in Boxing for years. He’s taking this fight as it’s a pension top up, which is fair enough. I don’t expect this to be competitive at all, and if it is then Azim is nowhere near the talent being advertised.

do we definitely know he's no ambition left? He'd won 7 on the bounce since a very debatable or at least tight loss to Catterall. He's definitely less gobby than he was but I think that's maturity. His last defeat was comprehensive but he's only lost to Barroso, Jack and Josh. And he carries power, is awkward and always been good to watch.

I'm not saying you're wrong, I just don't think there's evidence that this is definitely a cash out, he might just feel he's at an age where he doesn't want to faff about chinning 2 Latvian decorators before having a proper fight. He's managed by Lee Eaton who regardless of what one thinks of him (he's an MTK shill who was surveying asbestos 8 years ago yet didn't mind working with really cancerous materials in the form of the Kinahans), he has good connections and gets people good fights.

Jamie TKV vs Franklin Ignatius on the undercard. Don’t know how many rounds this is over yet but very possible it will be for the Southern area I reckon.

Good match for Azim at this stage of his career. But agree with Sean, you have to feel it's a cash out fight for Ohara. Sad what happened in the Barraso fight I felt that was a winnable fight for him.

Really good step up for me.

I think a few have suggested Azim was been kept away from punchers as well & Davies can dig a bit.

Adam Azim: Harlem Eubank didn't want it, Ohara Davies is a bigger fight

After spending months entangled in boxing politics with Dalton Smith and then a prolonged period on the treatment table, unable to nail down a date with Harlem Eubank, Adam Azim will instead return to action against Ohara Davies on October 19th.

Azim, 11-0 (8 KOs), will be relieved to finally have a fight over the line.

Back in February, the EBU ordered Azim to defend his European title against Smith, whilst the British Boxing Board of Control made Azim the mandatory challenger for Smith’s British title.

Azim, 22, veered away from the collision course, vacated the European title and, on Easter Sunday, he and Eubank posed in the ring at the O2 Arena to publicize their own hastily arranged fight.

The saga has dragged on since but finally came to an end earlier this month.

Ankle and wrist injuries have kept Azim out of the ring since he beat Enock Poulsen to win the European title in February and, earlier this month, Eubank - who has been out of the ring since beating Timo Schwarzkopf last November - declared that he could no longer afford to wait around.

Instead, Azim will fight the awkward, heavy handed Davies, 25-3 (18 KOs), at the Copperbox Arena on October 19th.

“I agreed to the fight. I was ready for it, October 5th. Obviously I had a few disappointments with injuries and stuff but the fight was obviously [initially] signed on June 15th on that Chris Billam-Smith and Riakporhe fight,” Azim said on Sky Sports.

“What happened was, I had an injury and that had to get postponed. They moved the fight to October 5th. I was meant to fight on his home turf, against him. It didn’t happen.

“Look, he wanted to take a different route. I’ve got a bigger and better fight. I’ve got a tougher fight than Harlem Eubank.”

Davies will see the fight with Azim as the ideal opportunity to make up lost ground. The Londoner has been inactive in recent years but his patience was rewarded in January when he was matched with Ismael Barroso for the interim WBA super lightweight title. Things went badly wrong for Davies as the Venezuelan veteran shockingly stopped him inside a round.

Azim, however, isn’t taking things for granted.

“Harlem Eubank, my time will come with him. It’s going to happen. Regardless, it’s gonna happen. Even with Dalton Smith, it’s going to happen. I know it will. We’ve got nothing much to say about it now because I’m fighting Ohara Davies and I can’t look past that,” he said.

“We both don’t want to lose but I’v known Ohara for a very long time. We both have that respect there. We have so much respect for each other. We’ve never talked bad about each other and aways want each other to do good.

“It’s a bit like Dan Azeez and Joshua Buatsi. They were mates and they made up after the fight. It’s gonna be the same scenario.”

Dan Azeez-Lewis Edmondson to support Adam Azim-Ohara Davies

The light heavyweight Dan Azeez is to fight Lewis Edmondson at London’s Copper Box Arena on October 19.

Azeez, 35, last fought in June when on the undercard of Chris Billam-Smith-Richard Riakporhe he disappointed in drawing with Hrvoje Sep of Croatia over eight rounds.

In February he lost for the first time, against Joshua Buatsi via decision, having previously recorded 20 victories from his 20 fights. Against Edmondson, 28 and who defeated him as an amateur, he fights to return to towards the top of one of the most competitive weight divisions in the UK.

“Lewie is a good, skilful, young fighter,” said Azeez of the fight on the undercard of Adam Azim-Ohara Davies. “He whooped me as an amateur and now it’s time to return the favour.”

“I respect Dan as a fighter,” said the undefeated Edmondson. “He’s very experienced. He’s been there numerous times. We know each other well.

“We fought as amateurs and sparred in the early days of my pro career. I’m expecting a tough and rough fight. What you see is what you get with Dan. I respect him as a person but it’s the fight game and it’s time to announce myself on the big stage. He’s had his time and it’s mine now.”

On the same Boxxer promotion, Michael McKinnon fights fellow welterweight Tulani Mbenge of South Africa, Jeamie TKV and Franklin Ignatius fight at heavyweight, and the promising bantamweight Francesca Hennessy will fight an opponent to be confirmed.

I dunno, is Ohara Davis really shot?
I don’t think he is. He was caught cold, and will
have been hugely embarrassed by that loss to a dude who looks 100 years old. He’s gotta be massively motivated for this chance to get things back on track so quickly.

He’s got nothing to lose here. Everyone’s expecting him to get blasted out and he’s playing with the house money. He’s got heavy hands and they could be in for real shock here, if they think this is a cakewalk.

didn't know Azeez was that old, thought he was late 20s
hope he wins and wins well