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February 2002
Each month we bring you a selection of articles from the current and past issues of BOXING MONTHLY. To buy the magazine, see our subscription or back issues pages, or use our world distribution map to find a news-stand copy. Why not use our Interactive Forum to express your own boxing comments and opinions!
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APPRENTICE EXECUTIONER Hooking up with middleweight king Bernard Hopkins has changed the life of Calvin Davis in many ways. FIONA MANNING hooks up with another Philadelphia fighter on the rise |
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DAVIS: honoured to have Hopkins in his corner and benefitting from the experience
- Get Big Pic Calvin Davis might have remained a mid-level lightweight toughing it out in the rankings, via the gyms of Philadelphia, had he not caught the eye and inspired the managerial imagination of a certain undisputed middleweight champion of the world. Namely, Bernard Hopkins. According to Hopkins, Davis, with a record of 21-1 (eight early wins) since turning pro in 1994, has everything you could wish for. "He has the drive and the talent. He has all the skills," said The Executioner in Los Angeles when, last November, he accompanied Davis to California for their first fight together. It was in the gym where the superstar middleweight and the lightweight contender forged a strong bond. Such was the deep impression made by Davis that Hopkins soon backed up his words with action. He signed Davis to a three-year non-exclusive deal with Can't Lewz Promotions in Los Angeles and brought him into trainer Bouie Fisher's fold. Davis was suddenly on the fast track, transformed overnight from a 31-year-old who had trouble getting good fights to a guy being personally handled by one of the world's top fighters. He changed his ring appellation from "Cheese Steak" to "Strictly Business" and, following a decision win last November over Eduardo Castillo Leon, he could be heading for bigger and better things - including an NABO lightweight title shot. Davis says that, ultimately, his goal is "the lightweight championship of the world, of course. I want the big fights now and I'm ready for them." Certainly qualifying as a big fight-diary date is 23 March, when World Boxing Council lightweight champ Jose Luis Castillo faces Floyd Mayweather Jr, who is eventually making the jump to 9st 9lbs. But Davis says that he is keeping his options open. "I fight at 135 but I can also fight at 130. Either division is okay with me," he claims. "If it's going to be easier to get good fights at 130, I'll do it. My walking-around weight is usually 132-1331/2, so 130 is no problem at all." Davis, born and bred in Philadelphia, started boxing when he was 12. "The thing about Philadelphia is that everyone boxes. It's like New York. Everybody there plays basketball! "There was an amateur fighter called Tyrone Mills who watched me get into a street fight one day," says Davis. "I was always getting into fights as a kid and Tyrone came over and told me I could really fight. He persuaded me to go to his gym and spar with another kid. "It took him a while, but, one day, he got me to try it out. I fell in love with it, of course, and have been in love with it ever since. "It has always been my passion, but it hasn't always been easy for me. I've had so many fights fall through and problems with promoters, but all that is changing. Things are changing very fast for me." After Davis fights on the undercard of Hopkins's 2 February multiple-title defence against Carl Daniels in Philadelphia, the pair return to Los Angeles later in the same month, when Davis headlines a card at Hollywood Park Casino. On the immediate horizon could be a match with hard-hitting Mexican-born slickster Yoni Vargas for the aforementioned NABO belt. This should make a great fight, not only because of the styles on view, but also because there is an intriguing aspect to this match-up: Davis's first and so-far only pro defeat (last April on the undercard of Hopkins vs Keith Holmes) was at the fists of New York state lightweight champ Brian Adams, who, five months later, also defeated Vargas. The loss to Adams, Shannon Briggs's cousin, still rankles. "That was a New York robbery," he claims. Davis thinks, naturally enough, of avenging the defeat, but doesn't lose sleep over it. "I fought a New York guy in New York, he had Buddy McGirt [the former welter and light-middle champion and an NYC favourite] in his corner." Davis shakes his head. "That's the way it goes." Davis took some time off after that setback, but was back in the ring in Philadelphia on 12 November, winning a 10-round decision over Michael Tidlone. Two weeks later, he and Hopkins headed to Los Angeles. Hopkins made his cornerman debut there, working the corner of Davis's fight against Leon at Hollywood Park. It wasn't just media hype. Swooning fans were thrilled to get up close and personal with Hopkins, who milled around before the bout, then spent most of the fight screaming at Davis through the ropes. Hopkins appeared periodically angry at Davis, but it was, says Davis, all part of his strategy. Some fighters need fires lit under them; Hopkins believes Davis is such a man. "He might have sounded like he was upset with me, but he was doing what he had to do - to get the best performance out of me. "In the Leon fight, he was definitely wanting me to get busy and throw more punches. He was giving me that extra push. He kept reminding me to get in close. He wants me to fight like Felix Trinidad." Ironic, that, given the hammering Hopkins dished out to Trinidad in his greatest hour. Hopkins could be heard shrieking "keep your jab pumping" for the entire fight. And pump it Davis did, though it was by no means easy. "I gave up a lot of weight to Leon," he said. "I weighed 132 the morning of the weigh-in. They told me he [Leon] was going to come in heavy and [so I should] have a big breakfast. "You don't hear that often before a weigh-in, but I had a big breakfast and I came in at 136. He weighed in at 144. The night of the fight he was 149. I was a lightweight fighting a welterweight! "Actually, it was a good thing he was heavy. Had Leon weighed the same as me, I doubt he could have handled my punches." As it was, Leon stayed the distance in a surprisingly entertaining battle, full of non-stop action. But he was clearly no match for Davis. "This keeps happening to me," said Davis. "Part of my problem is that, at my weight division, it's hard to find guys who are willing to fight me. Getting them to come in at the right weight seems to be a problem. I have frequently fought guys much heavier than me." Hopkins was, says Davis, "more than satisfied" with the performance. "We had a long talk after the fight, and he told me he loved me and to keep my head up. "After that fight, I felt good. My body didn't, but I felt very good." Hopkins and his trainers, Sloan Harrison and Bouie Fisher, plan to change the tide of weight-mismatches in Davis's favour. "As I keep going, I'll get better opponents," says Davis. "Bernard is a great cornerman. He's very inspiring and very, very motivating. We're working on my strength and conditioning. Just watching him helps me every day." The influence of the middleweight great is not confined merely to boxing matters, however. "I came out to Los Angeles with him when he was honoured at the Boxing Hall of Fame banquet. He is such a humble man and I am so encouraged by everything that's happening to Bernard. He deserves everything good that's coming his way. It makes me even more determined and more focused on my own career." Davis, who runs a gallery showcasing work by black artists with his brother Keith in Philly, says that he feels a renewed energy for his boxing career, especially with the support of his mentor. The most important thing he has gleaned from Hopkins is, he says, nothing to do with boxing. "First and foremost, it's important to be a man," he says. "Bernard is a committed father and husband. He is a committed family man. I admire the way he lives his life as a man so much. We talk a lot you know. And he never talks about boxing the way some guys do. He talks about life. "He has taught me so much about family values. As much as I love my career, he has taught me there has got to be more. He has shown me there's so much more. For me, when I finally get married and have children, then life is complete for me." |
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