Ishmael Davis looks to make a colossal statement when he squares off against Serhii Bohachuk on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury 2.
Bohachuk was supposed to collide with former Terence Crawford opponent Israil Madrimov this Saturday, hoping to put himself in the show window for a world title shot.
However, after the former world champion withdrew from their clash with an illness, Davis has now been given the opportunity to showcase his talent in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
And despite the short notice, he nonetheless appears to be drenched in confidence ahead of a huge step up for the unproven super welterweight contender.
Ishmael Davis believes he has superior IQ to Serhii Bohachuk
Bohachuk is easily one of the most ruthless finishers at 154 lbs, ending 23 of his 24 professional victories inside the distance.
Earlier this year, the Ukrainian comprehensively outpointed Brian Mendoza for the WBC interim title, before facing promising talent Vergil Ortiz Jr in his last outing.
Sure enough, Bohachuk reminded fans of his ruthless power against Ortiz, flooring the American twice before losing a highly contentious majority decision.
Davis, meanwhile, comes off another late notice assignment against Josh Kelly, losing a majority decision after producing a punishing onslaught in the 12th round.
But still, his performance on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois caught the attention of boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh.
And while he is yet to face anyone of Bohachuk’s level, Davis believes that he could, in fact, steal the show on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury 2.
“My IQ beats him,” Davis told Boxing News. “I know that I’m a better boxer than him. If I use my brain, I can get through this fight.
“The Mendoza fight that he had – that was terrible from Mendoza. He just kept going back, just running from this corner to that corner to this corner, giving him too much respect.
“I’m not giving him no respect, so he’s going to have to think about what he’s doing instead of doing what he wants.”
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Can Ishmael Davis pull off the upset against Serhii Bohachuk?
Davis has largely established himself as a slick counterpuncher, often utilizing his fluid defensive manoeuvres before setting up an explosive attack.
But against Kelly, an equally polished mover, ‘The Black Panther’ exposed his limitations by failing to establish a rhythm in the earlier rounds.
And so, it goes without saying that the Brit will need to be more assertive against Bohachuk, undoubtedly the biggest puncher he has faced.
At the same time, though, Davis is likely to keep his name in the mix with another brave performance, regardless of whether he causes the upset.