In this video interview caught by iFL TV during the immediate aftermath of Ohara Davies first knockout loss, Davies reflects on what just happened and what this means for his career.
Davies on taking a tough loss:
“A tough loss to take? What’s tough is you having to do your job, coming to speak to people. I’ve got six figures in my bank now, my job ain’t tough...
“Yeah, I feel good. You know, it’s quite embarrassing taking a loss like that in front of a big crowd of millions - but I think it’s life. Life sometimes, you take Ls...it’s actually a bit more embarrassing because I’ve spoken a lot of stuff but that’s not gonna change my character. I’m still gonna speak, I’m still gonna entertain ‘cause that’s what I do.
“Boxing is what I know, I’ve been doing this since I was young so one defeat on my record ain’t gonna stop me from going after what I want.”
On if anything about Josh Taylor surprised him:
“Nah, nothing really surprised me. I knew he was a good fighter...I did believe I’d be the better man on the night but it was nothing in particular that I was surprised by.
“If I could turn time back from this time, when they offered me the fight, and I knew the fight would end up like this, would I have turned the fight down? Hell no. I still would’ve taken the fight. I think it’s about being a warrior and having a fighter’s — like I always say ‘have a fighter’s mentality, a fighter’s heart.’ We both came into this fight knowing we could lose. Yes, me and him are not friends and after this we’re still not friends, we’re still not cool...
“I’ve always respected him as a fighter but I think as two different contenders from two different camps we still won’t see eye to eye but I respect everyone as a fighter. But anyone in my weight class is gonna be, you know, it’s gonna be a bit hostile. Even after the fight. And maybe one day we can do it again. I think the fans were entertained.”
On if he’s actively looking for a rematch:
“I’m not really thinking about whether I’m gonna fight him next. He beat me, he’s gonna go on to do whatever he’s gonna do, I’m gonna go on to do whatever I’m gonna do. But when I think about where I come from and where I’ve got to, even though I’ve lost, I still feel like I’ve done okay. I think I’ve done good.”
On what he’s going to do next:
“Go on a holiday...me and my girlfriend are gonna go back to New York, somewhere else. Just gonna enjoy.
“Let me say one thing to the fans. You know a lot of people believed in me, a lot of people here believed in me, my brother believed in me, and after the fight when I came back to the room -- I’ve been to the different rooms when certain people have got beaten and was down — I just think it’s about being a fighter. Yes, I’ve took my first loss, I didn’t expect it, but boxing’s literally all I know. So my next conference that I have, I’m still gonna talk shit.
“...it’s like WWE. When a fighter, WWE, goes and gets beat they can always come back, why, because they’re not fighters, they’re also entertainers. And just ‘cause me taking a loss, I’m still gonna go out there, I’m still gonna entertain. Any time I get behind a camera and I talk, people are still gonna want to listen to hear what I’ve got to say...So as long as I entertain my boxing career, it will always live, it will never die down because I’m an entertainer, I’m not just a boxer.”