Adam Azim was eight or nine years old, which means Ohara Davies must have been around 18 or 19 when they met in Tunde Ajayi’s Peacock Gym in London.
“Adam was just one of the kids that used to come,” Davies said in an interview with Andy Scott and Barry Jones, the hosts of Sky Sports’ Ringside Toe2Toe Boxing Podcast. Later, Davies added: “I’ve known this guy since he was a kid, and now he’s a man.”
Azim, speaking earlier in the same program, recalled his older counterpart.
“I think I used to see him spar a lot, train a lot, do pads, and ever since then we kept in touch,” Azim said. “To be honest, I’ve never had a thought of fighting him because we had that friendship.”
Now Azim is 22 years old, an unbeaten junior welterweight prospect who has been fighting professionally for nearly four years and is 11-0 (8 KOs). Davies (25-3, 18 KOs) is 32 years old and at a crossroads in his career. His most recent loss was particularly damaging; Davies was put away in less than two minutes by Ismael Barroso in January.
Those circumstances have brought their paths together. They will fight on Oct. 19 at the Copper Box Arena in London.
Azim is rising and needs to face more established names. Davies, meanwhile, needs to prove that he can succeed against quality opposition, and fending off a young upstart is one way to do that.
“At the end of the day, it’s all down to business,” Azim said. “I think it’s the best option for me to take this fight, because it builds my career up and elevates me to where I need to get to. With Ohara, he’s coming off a loss from Barroso […]He needs to get to where he needs to get back to. It’s a win-win for both of us.”
Said Davies: “I never thought this fight would happen. Even if you asked me this time last year, or even this time last month, I would’ve said this fight won’t happen. We’re two different ages. We’re at two different phases of our boxing career. And we’re mates. I’ve got people I’m not mates with. Let me go fight one of these guys. Why fight one of my friends? But listen, when the fight got offered to me, I’m never one to turn down a fight, and Adam’s never one to turn down a fight too. We both know that there’s no hatred. There’s no shit talking. It’s just business.”
It’s just business, they say, but the friendship will be on the backburner. There isn’t any trash-talking for now, but there still may need to be a rekindling of their previous relationship once the final bell rings.
Azim brought up the friendship between Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez, and how the two light heavyweights met up for a meal in Ghana after Buatsi outpointed Azeez earlier this year. (Azeez spoke with Louis Hart of Boxing Social about this in March.)
“I’ve got to do the same thing,” Azim said. “Obviously after, me and Ohara Davies might have to go out for dinner.”
Follow David Greisman on Twitter @FightingWords2. His book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.