‘Batman’ Davis wins despite hand injury

Omar Davis…now unbeaten in five and closing in on a title shot

SHOWMAN Omar Davis entered the ring as Batman – and ended the contest with his right hand th-robin’ after suffering a break.

We knew he had the flashy skills, against tough Costa Rican Jose Aguirre on Saturday Davis shows he has the grit needed for title belts.

After dominating and rocking his opponent in the first, the Birmingham born, Walsall based prospect suffered the broken right hand in the second.

He bit down on his gumshield, continued to string together eye-catching combinations and finished his first six rounder strongly. Aguirre, tough and rugged, probably snatched the fourth when Omar took his foot off the pedal, the referee scoring 59-55.

That victory at the Holiday Inn, Birmingham Airport, was Davis’ fifth on the spin and he’s already closing in on a Midlands title shot.

That may come down at middleweight, manager Jon Pegg said. The muscled fighter scaled 11st 11bs for Aguirre – and that was an “on the day” weigh-in.

There’s a belief Davis needs to be fast-tracked because he entered the paid game late. Pegg disagrees.

“He only had two amateur bouts,” he said. “He’s very fresh, he’s not taken any stick, he’s a 29-year-old with a 25-year-old’s body.

“That was his seventh time in the ring, amateur and pro. OK, we can’t hang around, but we don’t have to rush. We’ve got a year or two’s development before we really push on.”

An area title chance will come a lot sooner than that. Two more fights and Davis will be ready, Pegg believes.

“(Against Aguirre) he was doing his own thing, but we want to keep some of that because being unorthodox can be an asset.

“He boxed really well. I knew how good he was from the very start and now he’s got that mental toughness.”

“It’s a clean break,” Pegg said of the injury. “It’ll heal very quickly.”

Davis has gained a reputation for showbiz ring entrances – and he unveiled another slice of pure theatre on Saturday night, donning a Batman outfit and accompanied by a saxophonist.

“The crowd loved it,” Pegg added. “He hyped them up before the fight, he hyped them up after it. With each fight he’s adding to his fanbase, not depleting it.”

In all, it was a fine night for Omar, only slightly marred by the injury.

To quote the superhero’s trusty companion Robin: “Holy broken bones, Batman!”