Robles vs Davies Predictions: Liam’s bid for stardom begins

Britain’s world-ranked super bantamweight Liam Davies takes on Erik Robles on Saturday night live on TNT Sports 1. Robles’ IBO super bantamweight title will be on the line, but the real prize here will be a prime position with the major sanctioning bodies. Both men are ranked by the IBF and WBO while Davies also appears in the WBC and WBA standings. Here are my Robles vs Davies predictions ahead of a fight that will have a big say in the future of the division.

While the IBO championship is minor in terms of being a genuine world title, it can be a handy springboard to bigger things. The decorated likes of Paulie Ayala, Takalani Ndlovu and Stephen Fulton have all held this title. Now Davies looks to add the gold to a career that has already seen him lift the British and European titles among a number of ranking belts.

Davies has looked ready for this sort of platform for a while. The Donnington man actually appears to be improving fight-on-fight. He blasted quality former European champion Jason Cunningham in a single round last July.

Davies then followed that up with another stoppage, dissecting unbeaten Vincenzo La Femina in five rounds. Seven knockouts from 15 wins doesn’t scream power, but Davies seems to be finding stoppages easier to come by as he moves up in class. Unencumbered by the safety-first approach of the journeymen he made his bones against, the 27-year-old is knocking out more ambitious fighters.

Robles has nine stoppages in his own 15 victories. Unlike Davies, though, he does have a defeat on his record. That came via chastening second-round knockout to Carlos Costa in a fight he should have waltzed through. Robles has been impeccable since, winning nine out of nine.

Still only 23 and gaining his grounding in his homeland, it is not uncommon for Mexican fighters to suffer an unbecoming loss or two on the way up. They are matched young and tough over there. Lots of activity, lots of learning. There is a reason Mexico is a boxing capital that has produced endless champions and icons.

Whether Robles can become part of that lineage remains to be seen. If he does, I don’t foresee that journey starting against Davies. Robles has one gear: forward motion. When someone meets that head on, as with a nip-and-tuck 2022 win over Daniel Zaragoza which he won by a point, that can trouble him. Fighters who have stood off Robles have tended to play into his hands, as Cesar Espinoza found out last year in losing a decision. But meet Robles toe-to-toe and you can have success.

Davies likes a tear-up, as shown against La Femina and in his European title win over Ionut Baluta, and can drive Robles back with even more success than Zaragoza did.

I see few backward steps being taken in this fight and while both relish trench warfare, I feel this suits Davies better. He swarms his opponents with a malice that the Mexican can’t match. He has the better engine of the two and can sustain his raids for the full 12 rounds.

I’m not convinced the Brit will need that long though. I’m backing him to take the title inside the distance at 17/10 in a fight that will be utterly absorbing viewing while it lasts. After exhilarating domestic audiences, this could be the moment Davies begins to take on the world.

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