OUR OLYMPIAN: Shannan Davey punches his ticket to the 2024 Paris games

Shannan Davey’s dream has always been to compete on the grand stage at the Olympic Games, and the former Narrabri boxer will get to achieve that in 2024 after he punched his ticket to the Paris games by claiming the Pacific Games gold in the 71kg men’s division on Saturday.

The 24-year-old Brisbane boy was one of 13 boxers on the Australian national team that travelled to line up at the event in the Solomon Islands, all of which fought their way into finals, with 12 getting the job done to qualify for next year’s Olympic Games.

Boxing got underway in the city of Honiara on Monday, November 28, and Davey’s first fight was scheduled for the following day.

He challenged Cooks Islands boxer Tawhiri Toheriri and prevailed by a decision, with four of the five judges scoring him the win. He lost a close first round in that bout but fought his way back to claim the next two and win the fight.

That result saw Davey qualify for last Thursday’s semi-final against Tonga’s Taufa Lavemaau, who he defeated by unanimous decision to go through to Saturday’s final.

The other semi-final was won by Wendell Stanley as the New Zealand representative beat Nauru’s Melman Halstead by unanimous decision.

Davey and Stanley had met once before in June last year in Auckland during the Aussie’s first international fight, which he lost narrowly by a split decision. But things came full circle for Davey as he got the job done this time around, outclassing the New Zealander in the gold medal bout to win by unanimous decision and earn his spot at the Paris games.

Davey told The Courier yesterday he was still trying to soak it all in, and that he was proud of his achievements.

“I’ve been trying to soak it all up the past few days. It’s an amazing feeling,” he said.

“Since I was a young kid, actually even before I started boxing, I have always viewed the Olympics as the pinnacle of sports. I still remember a little article on me in The Courier, back when I think I’d had about four fights, and they asked me what my dream was, and my answer was to represent Australia at the Olympic Games. My record was two wins and two losses then.

“When I first started boxing, I can remember watching all the Olympic boxers and seeing them up there with their medals and thinking that I want to be like that.

“It’s always been on my mind. It’s a dream come true.”

Davey said that once he overcame his first opponent, who he thought would be his toughest on the road to the gold medal, he settled into the tournament and felt comfortable.

“The first fight, I drew Cook Islands. He lives in New Zealand and we had actually sparred before,” Davey said.

“I knew him pretty well and I knew that he’d be my toughest opposition at the tournament. As soon as we drew each other first up I thought ‘righto, this is the final’.

“Being the first fight at such a big tournament, I had so many emotions and nerves, and the pressure was massive. It was a very technical fight, but my heart and will to win got me through. The nerves were really high but it was good to get the win. It was a relief, and I settled into the tournament.

“I think my levels of boxing went up during the tournament. Pressure can make people crumble or it can make people rise, and I feel the pressure of the tournament made me rise and it brought the champion out of me.”

Davey thanked his coaches, which include The Boxing Shop Brisbane owner Shara Romer and Australian national coach Santiago Nieva, as well as his former coach, Attila Boxing Academy head coach Attila Kovacs, his family, friends, supporters and sponsors for all of their support.

The Pacific Games final was his 64th fight and he extended his record to 49 wins and 15 losses.

Davey arrived home after flying into the Brisbane International Airport on Monday, where his biggest supporter was waiting to congratulate him. That is his mother, Leeanne Davey, who told The Courier that she was proud of her boy.

“I couldn’t be any prouder of him,” she said.

“He’s done this journey for 10 years now and he’s never stopped trying or training.

“I’ve always thought he would be an Olympian and a world champion. He’s just so disciplined. I mean, he really sacrificed his childhood for this.

“He has worked so hard and I think he really deserves this. I’m so proud of him”

The Pacific Games gold continued an impressive boxing journey for the former Narrabri boy, who relocated to the Queensland city of Bundaberg in 2020 to further his promising career before moving to Brisbane earlier this year.

He has certainly gone from strength to strength since then, being crowned the 69kg Queensland champ in 2020 and the 71kg elite Australian champ in 2022, being named in the national men’s team to travel to Uzbekistan to take part at the 2023 IBA Men’s World Boxing Championships, and winning his second national championships to qualify for the Pacific Games.

He has competed internationally in New Zealand, Hungary, Bulgaria, Uzbekistan and Italy, and attended camps in Kazakhstan, Thailand and Germany on his journey to the Solomon Islands and ultimately Paris next year.

The road hasn’t always been a smooth one for Davey though. He was sidelined after suffering a ruptured ACL in training in 2021, however, his hard work and dedication saw him return in just four months instead of nine.

It is that hard work and dedication that has led to the former Narrabri boy’s rapid rise. In 2020, not long after he made the move up to Bundaberg, his former coach and Attila Boxing Academy head coach Attila Kovacs said that the then 21-year-old was looked up to by everyone at the gym and that he would “go a long way, to the top”.

“Shannan is one of a kind,” coach Kovacs said.

“I’ve never had anybody so committed to boxing, so determined and so hard training.”

His commitment has certainly paid off as preparations now begin for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

The 11 other Aussie boxers who won gold at the Pacific Games include Caitlin Parker, Callum Peters, Charlie Senior, Marissa Williamson, Tyla McDonald, Tiana Echegaray, Yusuf Chothia, Tina Rahimi, Monique Suraci, Teremoana Teremoana and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Harry Garside.