In the difficult days after a first career defeat, a fighter is forced to ask themselves the type of questions they never thought they would have to answer.

Why did this happen? What can I change? Am I good enough? When can I fight again?

After suffering the first loss of his own career, Liam Davies asked himself one simple question: ‘Why am I doing this?’

“It took a while for it to hit but the reality of it is that it's life, isn't it? Things don't always go your way. You have to learn to accept them,” he told The Ring.

“Everyone has a different look, but I can only look at myself. I was kind of forgetting the real reason why I was doing it.

"From being a kid. I loved the sport and the winning. I started on amateur shows for the buzz of winning a trophy and then you fast forward and it was more discussing the money side of boxing.

“When I look back, I don't like that side of myself and that's one thing I'm going to change. You always obviously want paying right, but it was more about if I won the next fight, how much you get and stuff. We all need money but that's not the reason I'm doing boxing.

“You know what's funny? I ain't got loads but I'm not bad off and I generally was no happier than when I was living with my missus at my mum’s and treating to a Chinese now and again and just enjoying life more. I do enjoy life but, in my head, I lost way of the real meaning of life because money is great and belts are great, but it's moments and memories that are the main goal.

“I sound a bit spiritual there. I’m literally not at all. But that's one thing I've learnt.”

Until running into his old amateur rival, Shabaz Masoud, last November, Davies, 16-1 (8 KOs), was one of British boxing’s most exciting, in form fighters.

Over the space of two and half years, the 28 year-old collected the British, European and IBO super bantamweight titles and displayed the boxing and finishing ability to suggest that he could succeed at the very highest level.

Davies would confidently speak about fighting and beating the division’s top names or travelling to Japan to fight the outstanding undisputed 122lb champion, Naoya Inoue.

The quality Masoud derailed those plans with a clever, composed display of accurate counter punching and boxed his way to a decision victory.

Some will say that Masoud exposed Davies’ limitations but given the body of work Davies had so previously compiled, it is fairer - and probably much more accurate - to put his performance down to an off night.

Had he been beaten after giving his all in a knock down, drag out war, Davies may have more cause to worry that he had hit his ceiling but the fact that he was so far removed from the fighter he had been during his rise somehow made the defeat easier to handle.

“Yeah, and that's how I look at it but people can take what they want off it, can't they?” he said.

“I'm probably the most honest I can be with myself, always, in every scenario, and that's just the way I look at it, but it happens. I've had thousands of bad spars.

“You go in there, you've done this, done this, done this [in training and previous fights] and you think, ‘Oh, I've just got to turn up.’ The nerves ain't there as much, you ain't switched on as much.

“It's a lesson that you have to remain fully on the job because my next fight [compared] to what would have been my fight if I was where I should be, there is going to be a big difference isn’t there?”

“But it's funny, isn't it? An eye-opener as well is if I won, would I have stayed at the weight more and it would have happened eventually anyway?

“Featherweight is what I've gone up to. It was a question of two [weight divisions] but I always felt like I could make feather. It was always the struggle from that, the last couple of pounds.”

That move up in weight may prove to be the most significant factor in Davies rediscovering his form.

Davies was a massive super bantamweight and although he used his size and power effectively, he didn’t fight like a weight bully. Davies’ calling cards were his accuracy, timing and self belief.

Davies isn’t one to make excuses but the fact that he considered moving up two weight divisions proves just how hard it had become to squeeze his 5ft 8in frame inside the 8st 10lb weight limit.

Whilst he will clearly still need to work hard to make 126lbs, maybe he will only appreciate just how much he had been depleting himself when he first stands on the scales as a featherweight.

He slots immediately into a high quality and busy British scene.

Nick Ball - who defended his WBA featherweight title against Ireland’s T.J Doheny in Liverpool this past Saturday - currently stands head and shoulders above his rivals.

Domestically, Zak Miller proved himself the man to beat by outboxing Masood Abdulah to win the British and Commonwealth titles whilst Michael Conlan is set to challenge Spain’s Cristobal Lorente for the European strap. On May 24th, unbeaten Nathaniel Collins will meet the resurgent Lee McGregor in another meaningful match-up.

Davies won’t have to wait long for an opportunity to quickly regain any lost ground. Fortunately, he doesn’t feel the need to feel his way into his new division and is happy to plunge right in.

Revitalised at his new weight and happy again in his work, he is keen to start collecting more trophies and making more memories.

“Yeah, at first, when I stepped up I went for a meeting [with his promoter’s Queensberry] and I was like, ‘To me, I was just poor on the night. I still want 12 rounds and just need to move up,’” he said

“If I’d got banjoed or something, I'd get the eight rounders or six rounders, but that’s not me.

“I'm not bothered about the names. I just want to fight, really. You know what I mean?

“It's like you lose a fight and you lose a bit of respect but the thing for me is, it's not knocked me too bad because I know I'm going to get it all back. I know what I'm capable of.

“I learned the situation. I’m not going to ever, ever even talk on it but I learned a lot from it. I'm looking forward to getting back in there and moving on because it's like a cloud's over you until the next one, isn't it?”