Ohara Davies will return to the ring on June 13 when he boxes at the Bukom Boxing Arena in Accra, Ghana.
The junior welterweight veteran will take on 22-9-3 (13 KOs) Tanzanian Mohamed Aliseni over eight rounds, having initially retired in the aftermath of his October defeat to hotshot prospect Adam Azim.
London's Davies is 25-4 (18 KOs) and has lost his last two, having been caught cold by Ismael Barroso in one in Las Vegas and then halted in eight by the quick-fisted Azim in London.
“It’s a comeback,” Davies told BoxingScene. “I’ve been away. I haven’t fought for about seven, eight months now, so it’s been a while.
“The lure of bringing me back is just the opportunity to fight in my parents’ hometown. My mum and my dad are from Ghana, and I’ve got Ghanaian blood in my veins.
“When the opportunity came to go out there and box, I started thinking about how I can help bring eyes to Ghana, to sport in Ghana, and how I can help up-and-coming fighters from Ghana that might aspire to get far in boxing to be the next Anthony Joshua or the next Azumah Nelson. If I can help them to achieve their goals and also I can benefit my own career in the process, it’s a win-win for everyone.”
Amir Khan is promoting the event, along with Sharaf Mahama, and the headliner pits Andrew Taibiti against Jacob Dickson at cruiserweight.
Davies, however, might not be one and done in terms of a comeback.
“I'll see how it goes,” he said.
“I’ll see how I’m feeling, and then if I feel good, then I’ll keep going. As of now, I do feel good. As of now, I’m back, and after this fight, I’m going to continue fighting.”
He is still managed by Lee Eaton, and said it was Elliott Amoakoh (known in the trade as Napper) who landed him a spot on the show. “Napper” works with Chris Eubank Jnr, and first told Davies about the show.
Martin Malcolmson will be training Davies, along with Juniro Saba – once considered a very bright boxing talent.
“These guys are great,” said Davies. “They’re great boxing coaches, but they’re just not known as of yet, but I feel like in time, with the skills and the expertise they’ve got, and the knowledge in boxing, I feel like these coaches can reach the top, and I’m in a good place right now.”
And it is not going out having been winless in his last two that has made Davies return, because he was satisfied with his efforts in his gallant showing against Azim.
“Listen, I feel like I went out, I think I put on a good show, I put on a good fight, to be honest, that I was in the fight …” he said. “I should have been stopped a lot earlier, because I couldn’t breathe from that round five. I still went a couple of more rounds, I still wanted to give the fans a show, and to have a bit of grit, and even though I didn’t win the fight, I got stopped, I feel like I went out on my shield, and if that’s how my boxing career was to end, I’m happy for it to end like that. I didn’t quit in a corner.”
His career won’t end that way, however, and he will answer the sound of the bell once more – at least – next month.
Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, is on The Ring ratings panel and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.