Jazza Dickens and Robbie Davies Jr have it all to do on February 15 when both fighters, both Liverpudlians, aim to breathe life into their respective careers.
Huge underdogs on the aforementioned night, as Jack Catterall headlines against Arnold Barboza Jr., the Scouse pair, very much at the end of their careers, have it all to do if they are to continue with their main aspirations. But each man has been defying belief long before they will step into the ring in Manchester.
For Davies Jr, who turned professional two years after Dickens made his paid bow, fighting was certain to feature in his life following the chaotic exploits of his father, Robbie Sr. A darling of the thriving Merseyside scene in a different generation and a man who also represented Britain at the 1976 Olympic Games.
Robbie’s father, his icon and hero, finally left his side in 2017 following the toughest battle of his life, a bitter feud with dementia.
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It was a summer of adversity for Davies Jr who also had to contend with his first professional loss, a stoppage against Michal Syrowatka, a couple of months before his dad’s passing.
“Telling him I lost was the final thing I said to him,” said Davies Jr when speaking Sporting News via this writer in 2018.
“He told me not to worry about the loss, but he did tell me to pursue a rematch even though it would cost me a load of time and money.
“That was the final proper conversation we had because after that he was asleep a lot of the time and then the moment came where he just let out one big, final breath and that was it.
"We had been told that the end was near for him, but that last noise, that one last grab for air, is something that stays with me even up until this day.”
Two months before Davies was blasted by Syrowatka in the final round, a result he would later avenge, Dickens was enduring his third loss as a paid fighter and his second consecutive defeat after he was beaten by Thomas Patrick Ward.
Although Dickens was not from fighting blood in a boxing sense the way his city counterpart was, his parents were as tough as anyone who has ever stepped into the ring due to their relentless battles against addiction.
Although brimming with the personality and enthusiasm to make a success of himself in various industries, Dickens selected boxing as his career path, and he has never come off it.
The loss to Ward, coming after a failed world title tilt against Guillermo Rigondeaux, was the catalyst for Dickens to push himself even further out of his comfort zone and a move to Florida, to learn from the Cuban masters whose methods inspired Rigondeaux, was next.
Two Liverpool fighters, who had occupied shows together as schoolboys, juniors, and seniors were both rebuilding after massive setbacks as 2018 got underway.
Davies Jr was rehabilitated first as he was masterfully moved into title contention after settling the series with Syrowatka.
British and Commonwealth honours were captured with victory over Glenn Foot and the European crown at super-lightweight was also acquired with a dominant win against Joe Hughes.
Epitomising the Liverpudlian spirit
A corner had seemingly been turned by Davies Jr in the shape of continental glory, but this would be as good as it got for the former ABA finalist.
For Dickens, the misery of failure, endured in setbacks against Ward and Rigondeaux, did not deter his dreams. They were considered brief derailments.
This was a young man who had often beaten monstrous odds, so two defeats to quality operators were not going to halt his progress.
A spell in southeast America including a small stay in the Dominican Republic, which included a win over Miguel Encarnacion, was the platform Dickens required to build momentum.
In 2019, Dickens was ranked highly by the IBF after securing a minor belt against Nathaniel May, but it would be in lockdown, brought on by COVID-19, where he would excel further.
Matchroom Boxing
The Golden Contract, a tournament designed to bring the winner wealth and opportunities, was won by Dickens inside an empty television studio in Wakefield.
Like the crowning of Liverpool as Premier League champions in front of bare stands, Dickens’ biggest moment was enjoyed by a handful of people who had managed gain access on what was essentially a closed show.
Impressive wins over Leigh Wood, a future world champion, and Ryan Walsh, one of Britain’s most respected campaigners, during the competition ensured Dickens would get a shot at Kid Galahad for the featherweight crown.
But, like Davies Jr thinking his world was about to open up after defeating Hughes, Dickens, with his eyes wide open, appeared to be hitting his peak as well.
Success and hardship in equal measure
Dickens would be rescued by Derry Mathews in his corner in his second fight against Galahad, eight years after losing to the Sheffield man, and five months following Davies Jr’s shock defeat to Mexico's Gabriel Valenzuela.
2023 would also be a dark year for each fighter as Davies Jr suffered an horrific ankle injury against Darragh Foley, whilst Dickens would be knocked out in Dubai by Hector Sosa as he looked to defend his IBO strap.
Two years on, many miles on their clocks, Dickens and Davies Jr, two fighters who know success and hardship in equal measure, in and outside the ring, are rolling the dice again, perhaps for the last time.
Davies Jr faces the fast-rising Pat McCormack in Manchester and the fight has all the necessary ingredients to suggest that it should be a passing of the guard moment.
A star-studded amateur with Olympic experience, McCormack is being fast-tracked to one day wear all the belts Davies Jr once sported.
For Dickens, his task is equally as arduous as he goes in with Zelfa Barrett. The sharp Mancunian has age and the crowd on his side as he closes in on a second world title crack.
As long as the outcomes remain undecided until the bell sounds for combat, Dickens and Davies Jr are still fighters and they will remain that no matter the results in two weeks' time.
Proud representatives of the fighting city that developed them, both men are heading down the M62 intent on upsetting the bookies who currently favour their opponents. This is business as usual for both men and with big shocks can come big rewards.
Dickens and Davies Jr are two fighters who have given their all to boxing and are worthy recipients of whatever prizes and riches come their way.
Defeat for both on February 15 will bring many questions about what comes next. Although the solution may be obvious to some, the pair, whose careers have seen so many parallels, have earned the right to answer for themselves.
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