Liam Davies has spent the past six months looking a major name.

The 29-year-old Donnington featherweight has thrown his name in the mix for a fight with WBC interim titleholder Bruce Carrington, an all-British showdown with WBA champion Nick Ball or a clash with IBF beltholder Angelo Leo.

He was also nominated as the mandatory challenger for Cristobal Lorente's European title.

The 126-pound division has been a hive of activity recently.

Carrington will now box Carlos Castro for the recently-vacated WBC title, with the new champion to immediately defend their prize against the winner of a final eliminator between Lorente and Nathaniel Collins - a rematch of their October split draw.

On February 7, Ball will make his fourth title defence against two-weight world champion Brandon Figueroa.

All of this movement means that, on January 24, Davies will travel to Manchester's Co-op Live Arena to fight former British and Commonwealth champion Zak Miller.

The two will fight on the undercard of the heavyweight fight between Moses Itauma and Jermaine Franklin, streamed live on DAZN.

Davies may not have snared one of the division's biggest names but knows a win over Miller is absolutely crucial, if he's to secure a world title fight in 2026.

"I wouldn't say it's a step down, just doesn't put me any further, but it's a fight, isn't it? Beggars can't be choosers. I love to fight, I've been begging to and they have got me one," Davies (17-1, 8 KOs) told The Ring.

"It doesn't really matter who it is but, obviously, future-wise, I just want to be pushed in the right direction. This fight puts me in a good position for a big opportunity."

Davies shot to prominence with a series of impressive performances and eye-catching knockouts that bought him a host of titles and saw him enter The Ring's junior featherweight rankings.

His unbeaten run ended in November 2024 when turning in an out-of-sorts performance, losing a split decision and his minor world title belt to newly-minted European champion Shabaz Masoud.

The result convinced Davies: step up to 126 pounds. His only appearance since has been a comfortable get right win against Irish Olympian Kurt Walker in May but now settled at featherweight, he's eager to begin another run.

"That's my plan," he said. "We'd be in January, I should fight in the summer and at the end of the year, maybe, or whenever I can but I'm hoping for three next year and got to make sure it's a good start, which I'm working hard to make sure happens."

Davies may have been relatively inactive during the 13 months since the Masoud defeat, though Miller has been anything but. The 28-year-old has notched three victories, winning British and Commonwealth titles while earning a Queensberry deal in the process.

If the prospect of facing a hungry, in-form fighter wasn't a big enough source of motivation, Davies is all too aware of the consequences of defeat. He knows just how important the fight with Miller is.

"Yeah, of course it is and I've seen how when things don't go to plan, how many backwards steps you have to take - or feel like you've taken - so there's no messing about," he continued.

"No-one's taking anyone for granted. Of course I rate Zak, he's a good boxer and wouldn't be in the position to fight me if he wasn't but I've just got to show what I believe and that's exactly what I'm expecting to happen in January.

"I wish him all the best and think he knows himself that it's his toughest fight to date."