Davis notes Thurman's 'improved' arsenal (2nd of 2 sets)
By Joaquin Henson
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 11 Jul 2019
In Part 1 of this 2-part series, it was revealed that a Filipino boxing judge Jonathan Davis of Cebu was assigned to work Keith Thurman?s fight against Puerto Rico?s Carlos Quintana in Ontario in 2012. Davis recalled that Thurman dominated the bout from the start and forced Quintana to retire, not just from the fight and but also from his boxing career. He said Manny Pacquiao can?t afford to take the undefeated Thurman lightly when they clash for the WBA welterweight unified title at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on July 20.
?Thurman has improved so much since then as in his recent fights, prior to Josesito Lopez, he has shown he?s not just all attacking mode,? said Davis. ?He can also box and counterpunch and uses speed and lateral movements. He has an improve arsenal. The Pacquiao-Thurman fight is huge and could go down as the most important fight of the year. It will be a tough and interesting fight.?
Davis hesitated to make a prediction on the outcome of the contest. As a licensed professional boxing referee, he?s not at liberty to publicly express views and preferences on any match. Davis said he won?t be in Las Vegas to watch the bout. ?I usually just watch Manny?s fights on pay-per-view with relatives in a festive get-together,? he said.
Davis, who earned a Business Administration degree at the University of San Carlos in Cebu City in 1970, lives in Anaheim, near Los Angeles, with his wife Marissa Ramirez. They?ve been married 36 years. His wife is an Accounting graduate of San Carlos and was a Far East Bank Cebu manager. She is currently employed with the Tenet Group of Health Services in Anaheim as a biller-coder. They have three children.
The oldest Johanna Carolina, 34, is a finance manager of GMC Buick Cadillac and Honda in Woodland Hills, California. She has an associate degree in psychology at Mount San Antonio College in San Dimas, California. Their son Jonas Alexis, 30, is a criminal justice graduate of California State University in Fullerton. He works at Disneyland Anaheim as a server and has pending applications with Law Enforcement agencies but has his sights on joining the L. A. Police Department. On the side, he gets assignments from Filipino writer Homer Sayson to cover NBA games in Southern California for Dong Secuya?s philboxing.com website. The youngest son Jason Brent is also a Fullerton graduate and is completing his Master?s degree studies at Southern California University of Health Services in Whittier to be a doctor of chiropractic.
Davis? last visit to the Philippines was in May last year when he was a judge in the IBF minimumweight title eliminator between Mark Anthony Barriga and Colombia?s Gabriel Mendoza. He went to Cebu City after the fight for a short vacation before flying back to L. A.
Davis said his dream fight is to be a judge in one of Pacquiao?s mega fights in Las Vegas. ?It would be icing on the cake before I retire my pen,? he said. As for his philosophy in judging a fight, Davis said: ?I believe the key thing a judge has to keep in mind in every fight, whether it?s a high-profile championship 12-rounder or just a four-rounder for a start-up or a debuting boxer, is total focus and concentration and no distraction from the first until the last round. Sometimes, we stand up and leave our chair to not miss the punches when our sights are inadvertently blocked by over-eager photographers or by the referee?s back. In California, the Commission reviews all fights in a post-fight meeting and officials are evaluated and critiqued if need be. We can?t afford an off-night but we just have to prove ourselves every time even if we?re perfect and praised in our last fight. As they say, you?re only as good as your last performance.?
As the first Filipino boxing judge licensed in California and second in the US after Carlos (Sonny) Padilla in Las Vegas, Davis has come a long way in bringing honor to the Philippines. His competence, impartiality and sense of integrity are well-known in the boxing industry.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
SD FIGHT NIGHT: FAMILY BUSINESS DOUBLE MAIN EVENTS SET AS JULIUS “JUJU” BALLO SQAURES OFF AGAINST ROMAN REYES AT FRONTWAVE ARENA ON SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2026
Mon, 23 Mar 2026"I'M A MAN OF MY WORD": GEORGE LIDDARD COMPLETES MATCHROOM BRENTWOOD HALF MARATHON FOR CHARITY – HOURS AFTER DENNY WIN
Mon, 23 Mar 2026Lester Martinez Wins WBC Interim World Super Middleweight Championship with Unanimous Decision over Immanuwel Aleem
Sun, 22 Mar 2026IBF Pan Pacific champion Vince Paras set to face unbeaten OPBF champion Aoi Yokoyama in Kyrgyzstan
Sun, 22 Mar 2026King James sets NBA all-time record for most games played
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Sun, 22 Mar 2026Loaded boxing schedule
By Joaquin Henson, Sun, 22 Mar 2026WEIGHTS, IMAGES, RUNNING ORDER AND THE LAST WORDS AHEAD OF ADAMES VS. WILLIAMS IN ORLANDO
Sat, 21 Mar 2026COPPER BOX ARENA FIGHT NIGHT: WEIGH-IN RESULTS AND RUNNING ORDER CONFIRMED AS LIDDARD AND DENNY FACE-OFF FOR FINAL TIME
Sat, 21 Mar 2026Weights From ‘Martinez vs. Aleem’ Event from the NOS Event Center in San Bernardino and Broadcast live on ProBoxTV
Sat, 21 Mar 2026Jordan Orozco Training Camp Notes
Sat, 21 Mar 2026Towns vs. Bordin for PAT Belt; De Barbo, Nancholas, Samiei in Supporting Bouts at Brico Santig's Exciting Show in Pattaya Beach, Thailand
By Carlos Costa, Fri, 20 Mar 2026YOENIS TELLEZ TRAINING CAMP QUOTES
Fri, 20 Mar 2026Lebron James ties the most game played in NBA history
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Fri, 20 Mar 2026Pichay supports GM Antonio's Australian chess circuit campaign
By Marlon Bernardino, Fri, 20 Mar 2026LIDDARD-DENNY PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES IN FULL: EVERYTHING THAT WAS SAID AHEAD OF SATURDAY'S COPPER BOX FIGHT NIGHT
Fri, 20 Mar 2026