GWENT boxing prospect Kody Davies is celebrating after securing another fine amateur achievement in the Welsh jersey, writes Michael Pearlman.

The Pontllanfraith-puncher is a key part of the Welsh amateur scene as he takes a patient approach to following in the footsteps of his mentor Joe Calzaghe and turning professional.

As revealed by Argus Sport earlier this month, the Gwent youngster, currently the top ranked Welsh amateur heavyweight, has been doing some gym work with Newbridge’s legendary two-weight world champion Calzaghe.

Davies’ father Kevin is close friends with the Calzaghes and created a speed punching machine for the undefeated boxer called Counter-Punch during Calzaghe’s heyday.

However, as well as mixing it up with Calzaghe, Davies is also a key cog in the WABA and recently achieved their only medal success in Serbia at the annual Belgrade Winners’ Tournament.

And Davies also did it the hard way, reaching the final on the back of two upset victories, in a gruelling event that saw him box three times in 72 hours.

In the quarter finals he took care of knock-out artist David Hošek, beating him 30-27 on points, or more accurately, beating him in all three rounds.

That led to a semi-final showdown with Finnish fighter Tommy Honka, again winning decisively, 30-27.

However, the gruelling effort took its toll in the final where Davies was facing Marko Calic, a Croatian fighter ranked nine in the world.

This proved a controversial contest, with Davies winning the first round and downing his opponent in the second, but also having points deducted for reasons that weren’t entirely clear.

And after a close final round, it was the Croatian who took the gold, with Davies settling for a hard-fought silver medal, the best haul from any of the Welsh team.

Davies was happy with his efforts. “Hard tournament in Serbia, three fights in three days. Got a silver. Now back to the grind,” he wrote on Twitter.