Marcus Davis spent two years in a state of boxing limbo.

Instead of pursuing his dream of winning a world title, a contract dispute with the people who represented him at the time kept Davis pretty much out of the ring.

Now that the former contract has expired, Davis is again donning the gloves. And the 25-year-old is more determined than ever to have a successful pro career.

Davis, nicknamed “The Irish Grenade,” continued his comeback Wednesday night in Boston, winning a four-round unanimous decision over Alex Lobriel of Providence, R.I., in a junior middleweight bout that was part of the “St. Patrick’s Day Slugfest.”

Davis improved his professional record to 12-0-1 with 10 knockouts.

“I knocked him down in the first [round] and in the second. He had never been knocked down before,” Davis explained. “He would not stay down. He was a tough guy.”

Davis ended an 18-month hiatus from the sport in March of 1997, knocking out veteran John Webster in Boston.

Now, Davis has a renewed sense of purpose after signing on with well-known Boston boxing manager/trainer Joe Lake, who trained two-time middleweight world champ Dana Rosenblatt.

With Lake in his corner, Davis is confident his ring career will take off.

“Things are going better now,” Davis said. “I’m going to be world champion, there’s no doubt about it. Last [Thursday] night was a stepping stone.”

Davis earns his living as an assistant manager at the Bounty Taverne in Bangor and teaches boxing and a form of martial art known as Brazilian jujitsu at Gold’s Gym in Bangor. Both businesses are owned by The Erin Co.

The crossroads of Davis’ boxing career came Sept. 22, 1995, when he fought on a card at the Central Maine Civic Center in Lewiston that commemorated the 30th anniversary of Cassius Clay’s (later to be known as Muhammad Ali) first-round knockout of Sonny Liston for the world heavyweight title.

Davis, fighting at an emaciated 139 pounds, later admitted he was dehydrated and anemic when he took on veteran Paul Walker for the vacant United States Boxing Federation junior welterweight championship. After suffering two cuts that were ruled to have resulted from head butts, the fight was ruled a technical draw.

In retrospect, Davis realizes he was unable to fight effectively at such a low weight. After having reached as much as 190 pounds in the meantime, the 5-foot-10 Davis is shooting to fight between 152 and 156 pounds, although he generally weighs upwards of 170 pounds.

The lefthander is expected to fight April 10 at the Centrum in Worcester against an opponent who has yet to be determined. He said he is working toward the possibility of a more lucrative payday with a June bout in Las Vegas.

“I’m hooked up with the right people now, and I have nothing holding me back any more,” Davis said.

In 1993, Davis won his pro debut. He fought on the undercard of the Joey Gamache-Rocky Berg fight at the Bangor Auditorium. He was 22-2 as an amateur.