This time it is ‘Enter the Dragon’ for Davis

Omar Davis…the professional game has gained a true showman

IN Omar Davis, the game has certainly gained a showman – a boxer whose entrances are pure performance.

Those who have yet to witness the muscled super-middleweight’s ring walk should purchase a ticket for his next slice of theatre. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like boxing – his small hall arrivals are enough.

The way Davis is going, pretty soon newspaper theatre critics will turn-up to review his bouts.

I missed Omar’s Saturday night production at the Holiday Inn, Birmingham Airport, but, to date, five people have rung me about it.

Never mind the fact the 29-year-old totally dominated tough Lithuanian Vaidas Balciauskas, rocking him to his boots in the third and bloodying his nose on the way to a 40-36 landslide. It was Davis’ latest fancy dress outfit they wanted to discuss.

For this one, he wore traditional Chinese martial arts attire, complete with straw hat, and gyrated to Carl Douglas classic Kung Fu Fighting.

For those old enough to remember, the get-up brought back memories of popular kids cartoon Hong Kong Phooey.

“It was electric,” Omar laughed. “Everyone loved it, everyone knew the song. I’m gutted you missed the karate kick at the end – an eight feet kick. I didn’t do it at the beginning in case I injured myself.”

It was another fight, another character for Davis who, in the past, has stepped through the ropes as Hannibal Lecter, complete with face mask, and energetically danced to disco anthem “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now.

There’s substance behind the showbiz schtick. Bloxwich’s Davis, now unbeaten in four, is a good fighter with unorthodox moves, trip-hammer reflexes and concussive power.

He unloaded the bombs early against Balciauskas, worked for openings in the second, had the visitor all at sea with a third round barrage and defused the journeyman’s bid to stage a late flurry.

Omar said: “Before the fight I asked Jon (manager Jon Pegg), ‘what do you want to see from me in terms of a performance?’ He said, ‘just be you’. It was so enjoyable, I felt this was my best yet. I was super-relaxed, dynamic, unorthodox, but my feet looked great. I could see in the referee’s eye he was close to stopping it and I think he would’ve done if there were 20 seconds more.”

To date, Davis has impressed against men with losing records. They have all played an important role in his ring education, he stressed.

“I take something different from each fight,” he said. “They all bring something different. Four fights in, I’m starting to build a gameplan where I can tackle different styles, different fighters.

“I’m collecting all the knowledge, the pieces of my game, ready for the time it needs to be executed.

“In my head, I know what I can do. It’s important to have a good, grounded and experienced team around you, which I’ve got. I have full faith in my team.

“I had a lot of struggles going into this one and I gained confidence from it. I’ve learned not many fighters going into a fight with everything perfect.”

Omar joined the pro ranks with very little amateur experience, yet expected to make waves. “I did expect things to go the way they have,” he said. “My belief is real.

“Jon was surprised by the weight I could fight effectively at (Omar scaled a career lightest 11st 13lbs on Saturday). I can go down to middleweight, whether with a day-before weigh-in or not.

“That is definitely what we are looking to do.”

Never mind the weight. What disguise is Omar going to select next time around?