Adam Azim has fired back at his domestic rival Dalton Smith following his victory over Ohara Davies at London’s Copper Box Arena.

Azim produced a career-best performance to stop Davies in his biggest fight to date. Davies, now 32, was seen as a step-up in class to Azim’s previous opponents, and although he had suffered a stoppage loss to Ismael Barroso, he was considered a contender. Azim and Davies may have been opponents on fight night but beforehand had been friends after spending time in the Peacock Amateur Boxing Gym setup more than a decade ago. 

“It’s really heart-breaking,” Azim told BoxingScene following the victory. “I’ve got so much respect for him, he’s a good friend of mine and it’s just sad that I’ve got to fight him. Sometimes you need to fight your friends to get to where you need to go to – it’s a bit like when Joshua Buatsi fought Dan Azeez. Look, I got the job done tonight. I’m not really reminiscing about the win, I’m just happy we both got out of the fight safe.”

Azim seemed levels above Davies during the fight, even though his opponent had boxed at a higher level than the 22-year-old. He used his stiff jab to outbox Davies before finally finishing the job with a sharp left hook.

“I think I showed a side to me that you haven’t seen,” said Azim. “I was boxing from long-range, boxing from mid-range, and I was throwing inside shots as well. I know I got clipped sometimes and people know I can take a shot now. When I was in there, I was feeling the shots because they were quite heavy.”

Azim has been linked with a fight with his domestic rival Dalton Smith since he was ordered to defend his European title against the Sheffield contender. He instead relinquished his title and chose to go another route, but a fight between the pair is still being called for by many. 

Smith reacted to Azim’s win on X, posting: “Adam Azim congrats on the win that’s what we needed. I heard Eddie Hearn and Turki Alalshikh was sat talking some big fights for next year.”

Smith’s post may have been respectful, but Azim was in no mood for pleasantries when he was asked about a potential clash between the two. He was angered by Smith’s treatment of his promoter Ben Shalom, referring to Smith interrupting an interview with Shalom and questioning him about a fight with himself.

“He’s already tweeted it so I know it’s playing on his mind,” Azim said. “I’m just sick and tired of him talking about me and him bullying my promoter. When that fight comes, I’m going to teach him a lesson. He wouldn’t say it to my face.”