When Liam Davies and Shabaz Masoud fight in Birmingham on Saturday, it will be a match first made long ago back in Shropshire.
On Saturday, at the bp pulse LIVE (formerly the NEC), Davies’s IBO super-bantamweight title – a generally unrecognised version of the world title – will be on the line.
Something has to give too as Davies and Shabaz both enter the ring boasting an unbeaten record as professionals – a far cry from when they first met back in their amateur days, as members of rival Shropshire clubs.
Davies, 28, began at Donnington Boxing Club, founded by his grandfather and run by his dad Tristan.
Shabaz, also 28, began at Wellington Boxing Academy, where the head coach is his uncle Mo Fiaz – and the club is still supported by Shropshire’s former world super-middleweight Richie Woodhall.
They fought twice as amateurs and Shabaz won both. Now Davies puts his record of 16 wins in 16 pro fights on the line with Shabaz, who has won 13 out of 13. And Davies also wants to clear up the small matter of local bragging rights.
“He’s beat me twice so of course I want revenge,” Davies told BBC Radio Shropshire. “I was in a bad place then but I’m a grown man now. That kid they fought back then would have never been in this position. Trust me, it’ll be a different fight this time.
“It’s been a long time coming. He’s known a lot of people in the area and to me, it’s just jealousy. They want to try and knock me down a peg but I come from the same place as them and if anything, they should respect me.”
Time to put a beating on him again – Shabaz
“We boxed years ago. We were 15 or 16 – and I beat him,” recalls Shabaz. “Then we boxed again when we were 21 or 22 and I beat him again. So it’s time to put a beating on him again.”
Shabaz, originally from Stoke-on-Trent, won a national title as an amateur but his pro career has been stop-start, blighted by periods of injury and inactivity. But he is now signed to Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom team and trained in Essex by Ben Davison, who has been Anthony Joshua’s corner and previously coached Tyson Fury.
“There’s a lot of politics in boxing,” Shabaz told BBC Radio Shropshire. “But I always believe everything happens for a reason. God’s plan is better than our plan.
“Behind the scenes, certain things didn’t play out for me but we’re here now and it’s time to put everything right. My best performances have come when I’m the underdog. When I feel like I’ve got something to prove I always pull it off.”
After beating Marc Leach to win the British super-bantamweight title at the Telford International Centre in June 2022, Davies then returned to the same venue in November to win the European title against Ionut Baluta.
And it was again at Telford he successfully defended it for the first time with the first-round knockout of Jason Cunningham in July 2023 – but he has not fought in Shropshire since.
His two most recent fights have also been well inside the distance, a fifth-round stoppage of Vincenzo La Femina in Manchester to defend his European title again in November 2023 and then the victory over Erik Robles to claim the vacant IBO super bantamweight title in Birmingham in March.
Being signed to Frank Warren’s Queensberry promotions team just adds to the rivalry – but there is no real trash talk from Davies.
“I respect Shabaz, he’s the same as me,” he said. “He’s also been chasing his dream from a young lad. But it’s either me or him. That’s how it is in this game.
“I’m coming with everything to make sure me and my team prove we’re on top. I believe I’m the man in this country. I’m two years with a 100% knockout ratio and that’s been on my mind all camp, for sure.”
Liam Davies & Shabaz Masoud were talking to BBC Radio Shropshire’s Mark Elliott.
