Blackpool boxer RP Davies has set his sights on a title in the New Year after scoring an emphatic victory over Lewis Van Poetsch at the Winter Gardens in the resort.
On a night when the newly-crowned world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury was at ringside, Davies took every round as he out-pointed his opponent from Lydney, taking the verdict by a landslide 60-54.
At one point it looked as Davies was in for an early night as he completely out-punched his rival in the first session and left him with a badly-blooded nose that troubled him for the rest of the contest.
But Van Poetsch was nothing if not game and managed to stay the distance without every looking as though he would be taken out or stopped.
However, the verdict was a formality in a fight billed as super-middleweight.
Davies said afterwards: “It was exactly as I expected – I was the smaller guy on the night and I knew I had to use my feet a lot.”
“I caught him clean in the first round and I thought I would get him then, but full credit to the man, he was very, very tough.”
“There are no easy fights on this circuit and what I have learned from my first year as a pro is that a lot of these journeymen are built to last rounds.”
The former unlicensed boxer added: “I train hard for every fight, as though it was a title fight.”
“I have been told that was my last six-rounder, so I will probably step up to eight rounds, probably in February.”
“I know my manager Dennis Hobson has talked about me fighting for a title next year, maybe a Central Area, Masters or even an English title, something along those lines.”
“Coming from the unlicensed background that I have, I regard this as my apprenticeship now.”
“I am 29 in March, but I am a very young 28, and I didn’t put on a pair of boxing gloves until I was 22.”
“I have lacked experience, but I am trying to catch up.”
Source: Steve Simpson, Blackpool Gazette (14th December 2015)