Liam Davies has lifted his fair share of belts during his career. Five, to be precise. It’s been an incredible rise to success for the British super bantamweight champion – but it wasn’t long ago he was lifting bin bags into the back of a lorry.
Boxing is littered with rags to riches stories but the tale Davies has to share is among the most unique and inspiring in the fighting game.
Davies – who is signed to Frank Warren‘s Queensberry Promotions stable and fights bitter rival Jason Cunningham on Saturday night, live on TNT Sports – is the man to beat in his division after sauntering to 13 straight victories, but all hasn’t been as rosy as it appears on his immaculate record.
Lockdown was tough for many up and coming boxers after the sport was shut down for months as the virus ripped its way through the country. Suddenly Davies was out of the only proper job he’d ever had and in danger of losing fitness.
With his part time job at a bar owned by his dad also going up in smoke, Davies found himself work that was far from glamorous but one that would keep him honest, busy and – most importantly – pay the bills.
British boxer Liam Davies went from bin man to British boxing champion in the space of a year
Davies took up waste collection during lockdown to keep himself fit and pay his bills
‘Me and my wife had bills to pay – there was nothing coming in,’ he told Mail Sport.
‘I ended up working 12-hour shifts at the depot in Donnington. As lockdown lifted up, I started going on the bins because I wasn’t very active and I thought it would keep me busy – running round, a bit of cardio. I actually enjoyed it. People laugh and say it’s not a great job but they were good to me and I met some good people who I’m still friends with now.
‘I’ve never been shy of work. I was there for a couple of years. It was more to keep my life stable outside of boxing because I wasn’t having big fights. I wasn’t very well known and not earning much money. I couldn’t rely on boxing as a source of income. I’d work on the bins in the day and train in the evening. It was hard work but nothing worth having comes easy. That’s my motto.’
The 26-year-old speaks in a refreshingly positive way about his experience, but there were times when the job really did test him. Being a bin worker is often looked down on by many corners of society and it does have unavoidable downsides that comes with collecting waste.
‘I had many a day where I wondered what I’m doing with my life,’ he goes on. ‘Some days I’d be planning to go to training and I’d have to help a lorry that had broken down. You have days where you wonder why you’re bothering. Looking back, it just motivates me more.
The 26-year-old and his wife (R) had no incomings at the start of the pandemic after he lost the only job he ever had as a boxer and part-time barman
‘I used to talk to the lads, they’d ask what my plans were. Now I’m living the dream I was dreaming about while pushing bins around and jogging at the back of a lorry. The hard work has paid off. It’s not been easy – far from it. My wife has had to be the breadwinner at times. I’ve done my bit and everyone else has done their bit.’
It’s been around a year since Davies last worked on the bins – and after signing with Warren and racking up an impressive string of victories, his career has slowly started to blossom, thanks to the help of friends and boxing promoters who supported him financially. Determined not to let anyone down who had helped him, it gave him even more fuel to succeed.
‘This was always the plan and I always knew I’d get there,’ Davies says. ‘I left the [bin] job, won the British title and doors started opening up for me. Sponsors got behind me as well as a guy called Lee Wilson, who helped me massively behind the scenes.
‘They supported me financially, helped pay my bills and I’m very grateful. We’re on this journey together now. I didn’t want to let anyone down. I bounced off the people supporting me. That pushed me as a person.’
Another thing pushing Davies is righting the wrongs of a difficult upbringing.
Davies says working on the bins was testing – but he enjoyed because it gave him stability
Growing up in Telford, his parents separated while he was young – and he also looks back on painful memories of ‘living around violence’ before he was forced to move to Walsall and live in a refuge with his mother.
Those tough times he endured make him all the more motivated to ‘take the pain away’ by being in successful in the ring. He explains that would be a bigger achievement than any title.
‘Life was tough [in Telford],’ he goes on. ‘I lived with my mum in a council house round the corner from the gym. I’ve always been around violence – more in the family. I’ve seen a lot of violence in the house. We had a great life, but we had very tough times in parts of it and I believe that’s what’s made me the man I am today.
‘Me and my mum lived in a refuge for a bit and it wasn’t easy. These are the things I’ll never forget and they stick with me. I want to give back to my mum because she put up with a lot. It’s not nice to talk about and I don’t really air it. She’s been the rock of my life. I’ve lived with her all my life and it motivates me.
‘She smiles now. I hope she’s proud of me and if I can take away that pain that we lived with for many years, no matter what I do in boxing, that will always be my biggest achievement.’
Growing up in Telford, boxing was the only career Davies ever envisaged. Pictured: A young Davies next to Anthony Joshua at his Sheffield gym
Davies is a glowing example for any aspiring fighter going through hardship and trying to make their way in the sport. His belief is that athletes who work hard and have ‘good hearts’ will stand out from the crowd – saying a simple phrase from his late grandfather has kept him going through turbulent days.
‘You have to keep pushing for better,’ he continues. ‘You have bad days – even I do now. Things get tough in life and people go through it. I believe if you’re a good person with a good heart, good things will come to you in the end. Turn up on your good days and your bad days and get through it.
‘I started in town halls. I wasn’t on TV at the start, I was on little shows. I wasn’t earning good money. People helped me sell tickets and put bums on seats.
‘Before he passed away, my grandfather always believed in me and I wondered if he was just saying that because he loved me. But he always used to say, “You’ll be a champion – stick at it. No one is going to do it for you”.
Davies is targeting a world title fight next ahead of his clash against Jason Cunningham
‘Now I look back and think, “Maybe there was truth in it”. I owe a lot to that man. There’s no chance I’m going to see him at the grave with no belts, so Cunningham is in for a hard night.’
There has been some bad blood between Davies and Cunningham – who will put his WBO international belt on the line in addition to Davies’ Britis, European and WBC international straps.
In May, Cunningham goaded Davies and claimed he was ‘carrying some timber’, while claiming that he would ‘have some fun’ when the pair face off this weekend. There’s been some back and forth, with Davies insistent that they previously sparred and that he ‘had his number’ – a claim that Cunningham denies. The boxer from Telford is confident this fight only ends in one manner.
‘I don’t really know him but I definitely dislike him,’ Davies added. ‘He’s made a few comments and there’s not long until I get to shut him up. I see me stopping him. It’s not one I’m going to rush, I don’t need to. I feel like I can control the fight and play it how I want. I’m not looking to do 12 rounds. If he can keep up I can see it going inside the distance.
He shares bad blood with Cunningham and has vowed to stop him after a series of back and forth insults between the pair
‘Maybe he doesn’t remember [sparring] but it was some years ago. I believe I’ve always had his number. It’s one I knew would happen at some point and unfortunately for him it’s happening at the wrong time. This is my time now and I get to prove I’m the No 1 in the division. Now it’s about showcasing it, which I will do.’
Looking beyond the Cunningham fight – should Davies see him off – his attention will turn to a world title clash in the future and he’s targeting IBF champion Marlon Tapales.
Seeing as Tapales is being talked about as an opponent for undisputed super-bantam superstar Naoya Inoue in November, Davies might be waiting a while longer – but he won’t be picky about who he faces. For much of his life he has simply been up for the challenge.
‘There’s plenty of options,’ he says. ‘I’ve never picked a fight in my life, I just turn up and fight. The only question I have is how much. As long as they’ve got two arms and two legs and a head to punch then I’m ready to go.’
Watch Liam Davies vs Jason Cunningham live on TNT Sports on Saturday night
