Ishmael Davis was preparing for his coming fight head-down, cutting all the noise until his phone rang. The British boxer received the offer to replace former world champion Liam Smith on a card, where a crowd of 96,000 people will be in Wembley Stadium cheering and shouting for the fighters. And he took it instantly. But how is he feeling about taking the fight on such short notice but on such a grand platform?

Smith, 36, pulled out of his fight with contender Josh Kelly, as he fell ill and missed out on the chance to fight on the Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois undercard. But Davis, 29, instead finds himself added to the slot, as he prepares to take on Kelly, 30, who is a fight away from fighting the champion, Sebastian Fundora. However, that doesn’t deter him, as he fights in the same weight class, and doesn’t have to make weight adjustments.

However, the Leeds native was preparing for an October 26 fight against Uisma Lima and now has to chalk up a different game plan against a tougher opponent. So, when asked about taking the fight against Kelly, Davis admitted his excitement and told Sky Sports, “Listen, it’s a dream come true, to be honest. I wouldn’t lie and be humble in this situation.”

“But I’m ready and I believe that’s where I want to be. Just like them guys and do what they are doing. All you gotta in life is to keep pushing and believing and that’s what I do. So, we’ll see Saturday night, man.”

Davis is riding high on confidence, as he is coming into the fight with his career-best win over Troy Williamson this March. The 13-0 record holder might prove to be a tough nut to crack for Kelly, as he is also a skilled operator, similar to Kelly. But Kelly is more experienced of the two and packs more power behind his punches. So, where does it leave Davis? Eddie Hearn believes not too far.

Eddie Hearn hypes Ishmael Davis against Josh Kelly

Hearn, 45, recently signed Davis to Matchroom Boxing, and he was prompt to bring the Kelly fight to him after Smith withdrew. The British promoter banked his faith in him and voiced the same on his X handle, as he wrote, “LFG @Ishmaeldavis_ – what a chance, what a story! 😤”

In sum, it will be an interesting contest to see how ‘The Black Panther’ handles the uphill task of Kelly. Notably, Kelly has been on a five-win hot streak since dropping the fight against David Avanesyan and moving up to the light middleweight division. But one thing is confirmed, Davis will surely enjoy putting on a show for the fans.

What do you make of this coming fight between Ishmael Davis and Josh Kelly? Who do you think will leave the arena with a win? Let us know in the comments below.