Adam Azim vs. Ohara Davies Preview

Adam Azim vs. Ohara Davies Preview

By Matt Elliott

After the bright lights of Saudi Arabia last Saturday, all eyes are back on the UK this weekend, with Boxxer hosting a show at the Copper Box Arena in which Adam Azim returns to the ring against Ohara Davies in a twelve-round contest.

Azim has been out of action since February’s fifth-round stoppage of Enock Poulsen after he suffered a freak ankle injury when out running, which caused the postponement of a planned bout against Harlem Eubank. That came in the aftermath of the decision to withdraw Azim from a mandated fight with Dalton Smith after the EBU ordered the Islington man to defend his European super lightweight title against the WBC silver belt holder. While that decision came in for wide-ranging criticism from the boxing public, it is understandable that Ben Shalom felt that the fight had come slightly too early in Azim’s development. Still, it feels inevitable that these two are on a collision course in 2025 or beyond.

Trained by Shane McGuigan, Azim turned professional in 2020 and has fought eleven times so far, winning all but three within the distance. Despite the criticism over the Smith fight, his career has been well-managed to date, and the calibre of his opponents has slowly increased along the way. It was a victory over Franck Petitjean in late 2023 that saw him get his hands on the European belt, which he then defended against Poulsen before it was relinquished. After dispatching his opponents quickly in his earlier fights, more recent encounters have gone into the later rounds, but Azim has always looked comfortable. That said, you feel like he is the sort of fighter that will thrive on the big occasions, and victory on Saturday will keep him firmly on course for some huge fights ahead. 

To unlock those fights, Azim must first come through a tough-looking test against Davies, who is aiming to bounce back from January’s devastating first-round defeat against Ismael Barroso in Las Vegas. An early attack from the British fighter left him wide open and saw him caught cold by the vastly experienced Barroso, who floored him twice before the referee stopped the contest with just one minute fifty-three seconds having elapsed. With that defeat went a shot at the WBA super lightweight title, and Davies now rolls the dice against Azim.

Aside from the loss to Barroso, Davies’ only other professional defeats came against Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall, and he will be well aware of the opportunities that a shock victory over Azim will bring. His main attribute is his power, but the difficulty with an opponent such as Azim is being able to land those shots, with his speed, footwork and solid counterpunching style often enough to see him coast through fights. Davies will be reliant on catching Azim early or hoping his opponent becomes complacent and then seizing on that opportunity if he is to cause an upset.

Ultimately, if Azim can maintain his composure and navigate his way through an early onslaught from Davies, I see him comfortably outpointing his opponent on the way to a unanimous points victory or even forcing a late stoppage.

There are a couple of standout fights on the undercard. Dan Azeez meets Lewis Edmondson in the light heavyweight division with the now-vacant British title on the line. Azeez previously held the belt before losing it to Joshua Buatsi and will face a tough task to regain it as he takes on the unbeaten Edmondson, with both men looking to propel themselves up the rankings, in a division that could see the belts start to fracture following last week’s undisputed showdown between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. Azeez failed to impress in a draw with Hrvoje Sep last time out, while Edmondson will be full of confidence, albeit this is a big step up in quality for him.

Speaking of light-heavyweight contenders, Anthony Yarde returns to action in a ten-round clash against Ralfs Vilcans. Boxxer have claimed this is a one-off deal with Yarde, with plenty of confusion surrounding his situation with Queensberry. Yarde is undoubtedly talented, and hopefully, any contractual issues can be quickly resolved as a future clash with Joshua Buatsi now feels closer than ever.

The vacant IBO welterweight title is on the line as Michael McKinson takes on Tulani Mbenge. It’s a fight that on paper McKinson should win, but after ten months out of the ring, it will be interesting to see if there is any ring rust. After a first professional defeat against Vergil Ortiz Jr in 2022, McKinson responded well, fighting and winning four times last year, and picking up the IBO strap could be his route back to a world title challenge in 2025.

Elsewhere, there is an English heavyweight title eliminator as Jeamie Tshikeva takes on the unbeaten Franklin Ignatius, and Francesca Hennessey looks to move to 5-0 as she takes on Ana Karla Vaz Moraes.

Sam Hickey makes his professional debut against John Henry Mosquera, and the card sees the long-awaited return of Shannon Courtenay, who hasn’t fought in almost two years and has only appeared once in the last three. She returns over four rounds, taking on Catherine Tacone Ramos.

The event will be broadcast live on Sky Sports + from 7pm and Sky Sports Main Event from 8pm.

OFFICIAL WEIGHTS:

4×2 Featherweight

Shannon Courtenay: 9st 2lb 5oz

Catherine Tacone Ramos: 8st 12lb

4×3 Middleweight

Sam Hickey: 11st 7lb 5oz

John Henry Mosquera: 11st 8lb

8×2 Vacant WBA Intercontinental Super Bantamweight Title

Francesca Hennessy: 8st 9lb 5oz

Ana Karla Vaz De Moraes: 8st 8lb 5oz

10×3 English Heavyweight Title Eliminator

Jeamie TKV: 18st 6lb

Franklin Ignatius: 16st 6lb 5oz

12×3 Vacant IBO World Welterweight Title

Michael McKinson: 10st 6lb 5oz

Tulani Mbenge: 10st 6lb 5oz

12×3 Vacant British and Commonwealth Light Heavyweight Titles

Dan Azeez: 12st 6lb

Lewis Edmondson: 12st 6lb 5oz

10×3 Light-Heavyweight

Anthony Yarde: 12st 11lb

Ralfs Vilcans: 12st 9lb 5oz

12×3 Super-Lightweight

Adam Azim: 10st

Ohara Davies: 9st 13lb

Photo Credit: Chris Dean/Boxxer