Ishmael Davis is confident he will defeat interim WBC junior middleweight champion Serhiy Bohachuk on Saturday in their 12-round co-fight on the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk 2 card in Riyadh.
Although Davis (13-1, 6 KOs) has only fought one world-class fighter (Josh Kelly) during his six-year career and lost to him, he feels he has the boxing skills to defeat Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KOs) )) By decision.
This is what he wants. He won't try to hit Bohachuk, which makes sense since he's not a big hitter, and he doesn't throw combinations. Davis was brought in on short notice after Bohachuk's previously scheduled opponent, Israel Madrimov, pulled out of the fight due to illness.
Ismail feels that Bohachuk is not a good inside fighter and believes he can beat him at any distance. He will have to do this because he will be chopped up if he hits the slugs or if he is stationary.
One trick pony?
“I'm in the best shape of my life. He's a good pressure fighter. I don't think he's the most skilled, but he puts pressure on people. When he gets the respect he wants, people collapse,” Ishmael Davis said. EFL TV About Serhiy Bohachuk. “He won't be able to do that to me. I'm ready for a real war.”
“I know what this fight is for me. It's a big opportunity. This guy is world No. 6 in the world. When I beat this guy, I don't want a British title. I learned a lesson from the Josh Kelly fight. I wasn't really prepared for that fight.” I'm ready for this.
“I know I'm going to get the win on Saturday night. I don't care what anyone says. He's not a better boxer than me, and I don't think he's good enough to beat me. He likes to come inside. I don't think he's really good on the inside. He's kind of a one-trick pony “What you see is what you get,” Davis said.
Bohachuk would put a lot of pressure on Davis, trying to turn the fight into an ugly war. Davis says he's ready for war, but we'll see if he's serious.
Davis' game plan
“He's going to take a lot of shots at you, and you're either going to make him pay, or he's going to make you pay,” Davis said. “I've seen him get stopped. I'm not going for a stoppage. I'm going to win, but I see myself winning this fight. After I beat Serhii, I'm going to go the world route and not the British route.
“It's a big challenge because there are killers out there, and they have a lot of experience that I didn't get. I like challenges,” Davis said.
