Davis back in the ring> New contract, lease on life for boxer

Marcus Davis has been through the wringer a time or two. The Bangor native, at the tender age of 26, has boxed on national television and been legally forced into an early retirement.

After three years in boxing limbo, Davis feels his career is back on track and the next step takes him into the ring Saturday night at The Roxy in Boston for a six-round junior middleweight match with Paulino Falcon.

“I had three fights in 1999,” Davis said. “And I fought on St. Patrick’s Day. I’m starting to get busy again.”

Davis’ legal problems came after signing a five-year-deal with a boxing management company. Davis, then 18, says he had no legal representation. He would come to regret the move.

“Basically, they stopped fulfilling their obligations. They helped me for the first year and then stopped. They wanted to fire everyone I was working with, my trainer, my manager. I thought things were going good. I didn’t want to do that,” Davis said.

Davis, who preferred to be in boxing rings, instead found himself in courtrooms.

“[His former promoters] tried to stop a fight in Lewiston in 1995. They told me anytime I tried to fight there would be legal problems,” Davis said. “So I stopped. I went into retirement for three years.”

Davis said his retirement ended when his contract ran out with his old management team.

Since then he has signed with Cappiello Promotions out of Brockton, Mass., and feels they have his best interests at heart.

“They tell me that they’re going to keep me busy. Possibly a TV fight, maybe a big-money fight with Dan `The Demolition Man’ Phippen,” he said.

Phippen, like Davis, is a young boxer on the rise with a 19-0 record, including 15 knockouts. Davis feels the fight could fetch him his largest purse to date. He says he has made as much as $5,000 for a bout but that the Phippen fight could bring him approximately $12,000.

But first Davis must build rounds says his trainer, Mike Cappiello.

“He’s been off for a while. We’ll get him to eight rounds and then to 10,” Cappiello said. “We think we’ve got him fighting a six-round rematch with Tommy Attardo on April 28 on ESPN2. Marcus won a unanimous decision against him on ESPN2 last year.”

While three years of inactivity might have hurt some fighters, Cappiello doesn’t see it that way for the 15-0 Davis.

“I’ve worked with him over the past four or five fights. He’s a southpaw with power. Real easy to work with. He utilizes what you say to him,” Cappiello said. “He’s a real good body puncher and he’s real easy to work with. Certain guys you need to be with every second. Not him. He works hard. This kid has potential. He can go somewhere, this kid.”

And Davis will tell you, going anywhere is better than sitting around with nowhere to go.