Ohara Davies does not regret decision to face Josh Taylor despite suffering first defeat of his career
Tuesday 8 August 2017 15:12, UK
Ohara Davies has no regrets and intends to take more risks, despite suffering the first defeat of his professional career against Josh Taylor.
But Davies stands by his decision to face another highly-rated prospect after 15 fights in the paid ranks.
"If I could turn time back, I would still take that fight over and over again," he told Sky Sports. "No matter how many times I get offered a fight like that, I will always say yes.
"My dream hasn't gone. I've still got a goal, I've still got ambition. We've still got big fights there ahead. But I don't regret anything that I've done, because everything that I've done makes me the man I am now.
"I'm a better man now than I was five or six years ago. You've got to take the bitter with the sweet. Not everything in life can go how I want it to go. It's just life."
Davies confirmed that a nose injury was severely hampering his breathing in the seventh round before the fight was waved off.
"People think that I just didn't want to fight, that I lost heart, and I quit," said Davies. "What happened was, I took a shot and then all of a sudden I couldn't breathe. Not through one of my nostrils, but through both of them. I literally couldn't breathe, so that is why it happened.
"I was getting beat anyway, so I'm not going to use that as an excuse either. I'm going to take this loss as a man."
An all-Scottish clash between Ricky Burns and Taylor was mentioned after the fight, but Davies believes Anthony Crolla is a more likely opponent for his gym-mate.
The Hackney man hopes to resume his own career in November and the disappointment of defeat will not prevent him from pursuing more dangerous fights.
"I've seen all the tweets [saying] that I bet Ohara is a bit depressed and stuff," said Davies. "I actually thought to myself before I got beat, if I ever lose a fight I'm going to be depressed, but I actually feel okay.
Even though I have been beat, losing a fight isn't as bad as I thought it was. It's a risk that I'll be willing to take again and again.
"I feel like I've got a great team around me. I'm not talking about my boxing team, I'm talking about my family, my girlfriend, all my friends.
"All the people that really love me for me. I've kept the right people around me from day one and they have kept me going.
"Even though I have been beat, losing a fight isn't as bad as I thought it was. It's a risk that I'll be willing to take again and again. I just want the biggest fights out there."
You can hear more from Ohara Davies on this week's Toe 2 Toe podcast.
