Ohara Davies was sure that he was going to put a beating on Ismael Barroso to win an interim world title, so just imagine his surprise that it was him on the receiving end of a first round pasting that promptly put him away — along with his current hopes of winning a world title.
“I’m sorry for the people that had faith in me, all of the fans, the people that didn’t go to bed and wanted to wait up and watch me become champion,” Davies said. “It’s a fight that I saw myself winning, I done camp right, everyone done their job correctly. I made the mistake and I paid for it.
“I threw a good shot, I tried rush in and I end up getting caught. So all I can say is I’m sorry. I didn’t see this coming, I don’t think anyone saw this coming. I just really got to chill now and just see because this isn’t how the script was meant to go.
“I rushed in when I shouldn’t have rushed in. I should have been a bit more patient but, you know, it was a mistake that I made and I paid for it. At this level you can’t afford to make certain mistakes like I did, and I paid for it in a big way. My pride is very hurt right now. I thought I was going to go to bed being champion; I planned to sleep with the belt tonight.
“What can I do but take some time off and come back stronger. This ain’t gonna be the end of me. I love the support I’m getting from everyone…it makes me a bit happier but ultimately I’m still very disappointed I’m not going to bed the champion because I’ve worked very hard for this fight.
“I’m not going to let this hold me down.”