WELSH champion Kody Davies has spoken of his desire to make the switch to boxing’s professional ranks – but not before dealing with some unfinished business in the amateurs.

Davies, 22, left GB Boxing’s World Class Performance Programme in Sheffield in March after deciding not to tie himself down to the amateur game for the entirety of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic cycle.

Having returned home to Pontllanfraith, heavyweight Davies linked up with former WBA world super-lightweight king Gavin Rees, now a coach at Pantside ABC.

A week later and Davies, with dad Kevin and new trainer Rees in his corner, claimed a third senior nat-ional title with victory over Pontypool’s David Walker.

And while his ultimate goal is to turn pro, Davies has a couple of big amateur championships in his sights over the coming 12 months, starting next weekend in Cardiff.

“I’m concentrating on the British Championships next Friday and Saturday then there are the European and world championships later this year,” he said.

“I don’t know yet if Wales are sending a team to the Europeans. I haven’t competed in that event before so I would like to go this year.

“The Europeans are the main qualifier for the worlds, and if I do well there it means I can go to the Commonwealth Games next April on a high.”

Australia’s Gold Coast hosts the 2018 Commonwealth Games and Davies is determined to make up for falling at the first hurdle in Glasgow three years ago.

As for his decision to leave GB Boxing and the prospect of making the step up from the amateurs, he added: “Leaving Sheffield was tough because the coaches and facilities up there are great.

“Rob McCracken and his staff know their stuff and you’ve got everything you need in terms of physios and nutritionists.

“But if I had stayed with them for another Olympic cycle I wouldn’t have been able to turn pro until 2020.

“I’m 22 now so I couldn’t have turned pro until I was 26 if I had agreed to stay with GB Boxing.”

He continued: “I’ll deal with turning pro when the time comes but there are things I’m thinking about now, like different routes I could take and people I could approach.

“Things are going well with Gavin and I think we can win a lot of titles together, amateur and professional.”

Davies got into boxing through his dad, a huge fan of the sport who went to the extraordinary lengths of building a gym at the bottom of the family’s garden so his son could train there.

As a youngster, Davies was inspired by legendary champion Joe Calzaghe, and the two have become friends in recent years.

Meanwhile, Pontypool ABC’s Lauren Price won 75kg gold at the Belgrade Winner-International Boxing Tournament.

Mickey McDonagh (60kg) and Lynsey Holdaway (51kg) made it a hat-trick of gold medals for Wales in Serbia.

Welsh Boxing performance director Chris Type said: “This is an excellent achievement for this current squad.

“We are really progressing and making positive steps forward in our quest for Commonwealth Games success in 2018.”

The GB Senior Three Nations Championships take place in Cardiff on May 12-13.