Omar Davis pledges: ‘Harder they come, the harder they’ll fall’

Showman...Omar Davis with Scott Murray and Jon Pegg

WHEN I began writing about pro boxing nudging 50 years ago, fighters strode to the ring. That was it.

No blaring signature music or rapper. No pyrotechnics. No laser light show. Definitely no dancing.

Very big fights featured a military band and Scottish world champ Jim Watt sang after his successes. That was the extent of the theatricals.

My, how the landscape has changed.

Now ring-walks have become events in their own right. In our region, three men stand out for adding razzle dazzle to their entrances.

Jermaine Osbourne-Edwards wears native Indian dress and is accompanied by banner bearers and drummers. Dylan Cheema and Gully Powar both engage the services of drummers.

For showbiz style schtick, the trio now have a rival in Bloxwich newcomer Omar Davis. For his debut, the muscled super-middle energetically danced to disco classic Ain’t No Stopping Us Now, for fight number two he dressed as Hannibal Lecter.

His third outing takes place at the Holiday Inn, Birmingham Airport, on Saturday  and the 28-year-old promised: “Yes, I have something special, but I’m keeping it under tight wraps. No one knows but God and me.”

Mind you, there’s more to Davis than props and gimmickry. Loose limbed and lightning fast, the boxer, who turned pro with Birmingham’s Eastside gym after only two unpaid outings, looks a talent.

Last opponent Zane Clark, a man who held unbeaten Ryan Whelan to a crowd-pleasing draw, was belted out in three rounds.

And Omar, who holds down a top job as a project manager in the construction industry, can talk the talk. He’s very articulate. He also has a growing fan base, with ticket sales double the number for his previous contest.

“My first professional fight was a bit of a shock for me because I caught him with some hard shots, but some of those guys are very experienced,” he said.

“The second fight, a lot of people were shocked, but I wasn’t. People I’ve sparred with or held the pads for me know the power I carry.

“Luckily, I’m in good hands with (manager) Jon Pegg, he doesn’t try to pull the wool over your eyes. The first time we sat down, he told me, ‘this is a business a little more than a sport’. I’m relishing the challenge from the business side, as well.

“I’m grateful that my company is very supportive, some of my colleagues come to watch me fight. I love to box, I love to train, but I also love my job. That means mixing the two isn’t a struggle at all.”

Davis, who excelled at basketball before finding our sport, turned over comparatively late and realises he must move through the ranks quickly.

“As soon as I’ve done a six rounder – and I’d like a six rounder after this one – I really want a shot at the Midlands title, I really do. I want to go as far as possible.

“This camp, Jon Pegg and Paul Soggy Counihan have been working more on the boxing IQ side of thing. Everything done in the ring is deliberate, nothing by accident.

“I’m supremely confident and my confidence comes from my faith. I have faith that I and my opponent will be OK and that I’ll always come out on top.”

And Omar pledges better fighters – those who come to wage war – will bring out the best in him.

He added: “There’s a song, ‘The Harder They Come, The Harder They Fall’. That’s what I truly believe.”

Could that be the soundtrack for Saturday’s scrap?