Boxing
Scooter Davis: From not getting noticed to the big stage
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The path to greatness isn't always sunshine and butterflies. More often than not, roadblocks are put in your way to test your will and desire. Bumps in the path are designed to see how bad one really wants to succeed in life.
Sink or swim, as the saying goes.Â
Those words ring true for Deric "Scooter" Davis (11-0, 10 KOs)Â as he kicks off Saturday's main card of "The Fight" on DAZN worldwide and TNT Sports in the United States (8pm ET/ 5pm PT) against Carlos Ramos in lightweight action.Â
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Coming up through the amateur ranks wasn't easy for the 23-year-old in the Washington D.C., area. Davis had to scratch and claw to get noticed since he started boxing at the age of six, while others were being handed opportunities to do less.
"A kid from D.C. that never was given a shot. Never had the fair shake," Davis told DAZN News. "I never had the easy road. If I had to win my national tournaments or never do anything, I always had to fight five or six times a night when my peers were getting one or two fights. I had to win. That was my career every time. That's why I have so many fights. I always had to fight five times. I was always in a stacked weight class, fighting the number-one fighter. And I was winning. So smoke and competition is nothing to me. I love it. I embrace it because that's all I know."
Despite the success at a young age by competing at the Ringside World Championship, the Golden Gloves and Junior Olympics and training with the likes of Gervonta "Tank" Davis, Lamont Roach and Shawn Porter, Davis still couldn't land with a major promotional outfit by the time the calendar turned to 2025. Davis was 5-0 with five knockouts. As luck would have it, Davis' fortunes were about to change because one of the biggest names in boxing.Â
"Tank" Davis was fighting Roach on March 1 and needed a spot filled on the card. He called Scooter, who was grateful for the opportunity. Davis made the most of the chance with a first-round knockout over Jamal Johnson. From there, Davis' life changed forever as that performance caught the attention of Top Rank, which signed him to a contract.
"My trainer, Barry Hunter, always had a great relationship with Top Rank's Mr. (Brad)Goodman," Davis explained. "And he always would just send clips and send things to him and say, ' Keep an eye on him'. And again, as I started to pile up the knockouts, they started to take a look. And then I got on the PBC card with Gervonta "Tank" Davis. Shout out to him because he put me on the Lamont Roach card with him. I got the first-round knockout, and I was the only knockout of that night.Â
"From there, I remember my page was just going crazy. Everybody was hitting me up. Literally as I'm walking out the ring, before I sat down, took my hand wraps off, seen a doctor, Mr. Goodman is calling Coach Barry like, 'Hey, is he signed? If he's not signed, I would like to put him on the card with Keyshawn Davis' (in June 2025). He was like, 'Yeah' and I was like, 'Absolutely'. I went down to Norfolk and got the second-round knockout with the body shot. And from there on, Carl Moretti (from Top Rank) just texted; he said, 'We're going to be in touch'. I was getting a little nervous because he said the fight was in June, and I didn't hear anything in July. But then in September, they sent the contract, and I just cried and took it all in. I finally did it. I did it."
Now, Davis gets the opportunity to shine in front of a worldwide audience against the veteran Ramos (18-4-1, 10 KOs). He promises it won't last long.
"A dominant explosive performance," Davis said. "Don't blink. Mr. Shock is on the scene."
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