When Ardmore’s Eric Fields found out he would take on Charles Davis instead of Eddie Gutierrez, he had to gear up for a different kind of fighter.
“Eddie was an orthodox fighter,” Fields said. “Charles is a southpaw. I was already working hard for my first fight, but I just made some adjustments on working with southpaws.”
Davis (19-18-2) will take on Fields (13-1) in a scheduled six-rounder in Oklahoma City on Thursday night, after Gutierrez pulled out. Oklahoma City promoter catBOX Entertainment landed Davis about two weeks ago.
“We are very excited about this fight for Eric,” said Darla Zuhdi, catBOX president. “He’s moving forward, moving toward his goal of becoming world champion.”
At least it didn’t take long to land Davis, of Phoenix. Zuhdi said it hasn’t been easy to find opponents.
“It’s kind of frustrating,” Fields said. “I know some of the top fighters don’t want to fight me because they have more to lose than I have to gain. They can’t afford to lose right now.”
Davis, 38, has become a specialist in taking fights to the distance. He has only knocked out four fighters and been knocked out three times, and 12 of his last 13 bouts have been decided by the judges. He lost his last fight to Dominick Guinn by unanimous decision on Dec. 12.
Although Fields, 27, has ended 11 fights early, he’s aware of Davis’ endurance.
“I’m concerned about it,” he said. “I just don’t want to rush myself. He’s an old veteran. I just want to stay focused, box slow and look for my openings.”
Fields said Monday he has the advantage because he’ll be more active than the relaxed Davis. The key for Fields is fighting meticulously.
“It’s not going to be too long before I throw my next punch,” Fields said. “I don’t want to run in and throw a lot of rights.”
Davis’ record can be misleading. None of his last 14 opponents had lost more than five bouts — all had fought at least 10 times — before taking on Davis, who’s fought in six title belts.
“(Davis) has fought some really tough guys, so it will be a good fight for Eric and fits with his title tract,” Zuhdi said. “It should be an excellent fight.”
Zuhdi’s stepson Noah (9-0), the Oklahoma lightweight champion, will take on Reymundo Hernandez (5-7) of Atchison, Kan., in the other co-main event.
