Adam Azim Halts Ohara Davies In 8th Round, Eyes Showdowns With Dalton Smith, Harlem Eubank In 2025
A pivotal crossroads bout saw one side advance, and the other call it a career.
Adam Azim turned in a terrific performance in an eighth-round knockout of Ohara Davies. Azim scored two knockdowns, the latter which forced the stoppage at 1:18 of round eight Saturday at Copper Box Arena in Hackney Wick, London.
The Sky Sports/Peacock+ main event, presented by BOXXER, saw Azim, 22, work behind the jab early before he eventually unloaded his full arsenal. Davies, 32, threatened a fight early before he quickly tightened up his guard.
A more competitive second round saw Davies try to unload his left hook. Azim made the defensive adjustment to avoid getting caught by a fluke shot and continued with his disciplined attack.
The right hand began to flow with greater regularity in the third for Azim. His growing confidence in the weapon paved the way to develop his left hook in the fourth as Davies quickly ran out of answers.
Azim scored the first knockdown on the night midway through the fifth round. A left hook caught Davies just below his right elbow, which produced a delayed reaction knockdown. Davies beat the count, but his nose was already bloodied and well down on the cards to that point.
Action continued as the fight entered the second half of the contest. Davies refused to wilt but didn’t have anything to keep his younger, unbeaten foe at bay.
Azim (12-0, 9 knockouts) found his home run shot in the eighth. A left hook upstairs forced Davies to touch his right hand to the side of the head before he went to the canvas. Referee Mark Lyson issued his count before Davies’ corner called for the end of the bout.
It could also prove to be his final time entering the ring as a pro boxer.
“I’ve had my time in the sport of boxing ten years. This might be the end of my boxing career,” noted Davies (25-4, 18 KOs). “I still have my faculties. This might the end of my career and I’m honored it came against Adam Azim.”
There’s a lot to like about Azim, who earned the biggest win of his promising career.
The Shane McGuigan-trained boxer needed this moment after a frustrating 2024 campaign. He saw opportunities fall through for floated bouts versus countrymen Dalton Smith and Harlem Eubank. The latter bout was all but done for earlier this month, but a clerical issue caused BOXXER to lose out on the date.
It all worked out in the end.
“It was my best performance,” insisted Azim, agreeing with the general consensus. “I had to be switched on for [Davies]. He’s my friend but he’s also a world title contender, very dangerous. It’s sad because we’re friends. No matter what happened in here, I got so much love for him.”
Davies—who was born in nearby Hackney—has now lost two in a row.
He teased the possibility of retirement prior to the fight, which came nine months after a Jan. 6 1st round knockout to Ismael ‘Abuelo’ Barroso. Davies won six in a row to that point, including a ninth-round knockout of Lewis Ritson in their WBA title eliminator last March. It was enough to earn a shot at the interim WBA 140-pound belt, only to leave Vegas empty-handed after the crushing defeat to Barroso.
Saturday’s loss left him resigned to pave the way for the next generation.
“Adam is very good,” acknowledged Davies. “He’s a lot better than I thought, a lot better than I expected. Adam is gonna go far in this sport.”
For now, Azim will settle for revisiting his recent past.
“I want to fight Dalton Smith next year,” insisted Azim. “I want to fight Harlem Eubanknext year. But listen, [Davies] is tougher than all these [fighters] are.”
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