Ishmael Davis turned in a standout performance when he outpointed former British junior middleweight champion Troy Williamson over 12 rounds on March 23.
It was Williamson’s second consecutive defeat after he fell to Caoimhin Agyarko by majority decision last December. Davis, who is now mandatory for the British junior middleweight title, revealed after the fight that his eyes are now set on a domestic clash against Agyarko.
Meanwhile, Agyarko told Boxing Scene that his current focus is firmly on European champion Abass Baraou:
“Listen I'm into fighting anybody – I'm a fighter,” Agyarko said. “I'll fight anybody. But the situation with Ishmael wanting to fight me is, I'm chasing Abass Baraou and Ismael's chasing me.
“But with Abass Baraou, I'm chasing the European title. I'm in a position to fight for the European title. Ismael's not really in a position to offer me anything unless it's a big-money fight. He's not world-ranked, he's not ranked by the EBU as well as I am. So it's more like, I wouldn't want to say high-risk-low-reward, but I only gain a big payday unless they can get a title on the line for it.
“I've got my own path and I want bigger fights than him,” Agyarko continued. “That's no disrespect to him, because I rate him as a fighter. But I want to push on. I don't want to be staying at this level.”
Davis impressed many with his performance against Williamson, but Agyarko admitted his former foe – who came in four pounds over the 154-pound limit – didn’t look like the man he faced.
“No disrespect to Troy [Williamson] but I think he's a shadow of his old self,” Agyarko said. “I don't know whether that's just age, too many fights or just struggling with the weight. Obviously, he came in four pounds heavier, but he definitely didn't look like the Troy that fought me or fought Josh Kelly. But it was a good, competitive fight.
“I thought Ishmael won it, but to be honest, I didn't think it was as wide on the cards. I thought Ishmael won maybe by two or three rounds, max. But a good step-up for Ishmael and a good win for him.”
Davis impressed fans further by revealing that he had only one fight in the unpaid ranks before he made the jump into the professional game. Agyarko was impressed with the development of Davis and compared it to that of his teammate, former MMA star Darren Till, who is reportedly making a switch to boxing.
“He's done well for himself,” Agyarko said. “You look at someone like Darren Till, he's coming from an MMA background. I've seen him spark boxers out in here. He's improved so much because he's dedicated to his craft. So someone like Ishmael is obviously dedicated and he stays in the gym and he's learning. So fair play to him.”