Overlooked and underappreciated or one of the best kept secrets in boxing?

Within the space of 14 fights, Liam Davies has won and defended the English, British and European super bantamweight titles as well as a host of international belts. Still the man from Donnington receives a fraction of the attention that other less accomplished fighters are given.

Davies (14-0, 6 KO’s) is a big favorite to successfully defend his European title for the second time on Saturday night. He takes on unbeaten Italian challenger, Vincenzo La Femina, on Queensberry’s Magnificent Seven show in Manchester. The 27 year old dispatched the respected Jason Cunningham inside a round in July and isn’t planning on hanging around this weekend either.

“It’s a chance to put on a show. This is how I’m coming into it,” Davies told BoxingScene.com. “I’m training like he’s coming to take everything away from me. I keep saying that I’m not looking to do more than four rounds this year. So the first three rounds, that’s when I want it done.”

Should he win, Davies will set his sights firmly on the fighters at the very top of the super bantamweight division.

Pound-for-Pound superstar and multi weight world champion, Naoya Inoue, holds the WBC and WBO titles and is scheduled to fight IBF and WBA title holder, Marlon Tapales, on Boxing Day. The 122lb division will enter 2024 with an undisputed champion.

Davies was disappointed that Inoue beat him to Tapales. He himself had marked the Filipino out as a potential target and hadn’t been shy about mentioning his name. He will wait and see what happens between Inoue and Tapales but will be ready for whatever opportunities present themselves next year.

“I feel like Inoue’s gonna win. I expect him to beat Tapales,” he said. “I feel like he could beat the featherweights. If I was him, that’s what I’d be doing but my shot is gonna come and I just have to keep winning until then. I genuinely believe it’s gonna come. When, I don’t know but when it does I’ll be ready and make sure I become a world champion.

“Yeah, I believe I’d beat Tapales. I’m very confident. My fights have shown that I’m very comfortable with southpaws. They suit me. I couldn’t see how Tapales would beat me. It wasn’t meant to be. Sometimes you have to be patient in life to get the things you want. I’m happy to do that. I just want to keep busy, keep in the ring as often as I can and I’m sure the world titles gonna come. Maybe in Telford. I’m not really bothered where. I wanna go to America. I’ve proved I’m the best in Britain and Europe and I want to go and show the Americans that I am up there.”