There are not many fighters who know it feels to share a ring with both Josh Taylor and Jose Ramirez. Robbie Davies Jr is the exception.
The world’s leading super-lightweights clash in a huge unification bout this Saturday night and Davies Jr is expecting a classic encounter.
“Both are good fighters with different strengths,” revealed Davies when speaking exclusively to DAZN . “They’ve got different styles but all they know is how to win and they’ll go all out to be the main man when the fight finally starts.”
Davies Jr’s knowledge of both fighters starts with Taylor when the Liverpool man was in his early 20s desperately trying to force his way onto the prestigious Team GB podium squad. In an England vs. Scotland amateur international, Davies Jr and Taylor main evented a card with national pride on the line. It’s a fight Davies recalls with stunning accuracy.
“It’s a fight I still believe I won,” remembers Davies. “But you still knew that Josh was going to be a class act. It was 2-2 in fights on the night and me and him was the last fight on so whoever won got the nod for their country too.
“I wanted to be down in Sheffield with the rest of the national team and this was an opportunity to put a marker down. Josh was very clever and he had a good engine but I believed I was always in the fight and gave a great account of myself.
Davies continued: “Since Josh has turned pro, he’s been manoeuvred really well with good step ups at the right time and he seems to have this way of passing every big obstacle whenever one is put in front of him. I always knew he was going to be a top fighter but he’s gone beyond that and he has a big chance to do something special.”
In 2016, whilst visiting Los Angeles, Davies was handed the chance to spar with Ramirez as he sharpened his tools during a brief stint at Freddie Roach’s gym. Both fighters were very much in the prospect stage but Davies was happy grab ring time off a fighter being touted as one of Roach’s leading starlets before switching to Robert Garcia.
“It was about six or eight rounds on a few occasions,” recalls Davies. “The Wild Card is a unique place and there’s always top sparring in there so it was good to get in with Ramirez because they had high hopes for him and he was around my weight class.
“The one thing I remember from the spar was how strong and relentless he was but I do think he had to tidy his punches up a bit because he was a bit wild when he let them go. I enjoyed the time I spent sparring with him and it was a memorable trip for me considering how well he has done for himself.
“I was over in LA in the middle of the summer and it’s absolutely scorching. It’s the worst time to be there as the heat is a killer. I’d already been sparring with Antonio DeMarco but I went in with Ramirez too. It couldn’t have been any hotter in that gym that day and sparring with Ramirez in those conditions was something else.”
With the fight rapidly approaching, Davies will be an excited spectator as he not only views what has the makings of a classic contest, but he has the chance he has been in with both as he resumes his own career aiming to perform on a similar platform. Who does the former European champion think will win?
“I’m going with Taylor," was the answer.
"I’ve thought about the fight over and over in my head and I just believe all the small margins are with Josh. Ramirez will give it a good go because that’s all he knows but I just think Josh will be that bit better on the night when it counts.”