UNBEATEN super-middleweight Kody Davies will make an emotional return to the ring tomorrow night, still in shock that his biggest fan won’t be among the crowd cheering him on.

Pontllanfraith’s Davies fights for the first time since sister and mother-of-one Jade-Louise died suddenly from a bleed to the brain in January, aged just 30.

As a tribute to his older sibling, the boxer will wear a specially made T-shirt and trunks sporting her name for his clash with Englishman Harry Matthews at the First Direct Arena in Leeds.

Davies, whose previous outing was an eight-rounder on US soil last September, will dedicate all his future bouts and successes to his sister.

“Times are still really tough, but me and my family are progressing slowly and as best we can,” he said.

“My sister played a big part in my boxing career and I’ve never gone through a fight camp without her before.

“She was my biggest supporter and the loudest person in the arena, and she always spurred me on and gave me the best support.

“I can’t put into words what she meant to me and how much she still means, and the impact she had on my day-to-day life, not just boxing.

“I was talking to my girlfriend the other night and I said it was going to be my first fight without having Jade there, and that’s when it really hit home for me.

“I’m still in shock and I’m never going to accept what has happened.

“I have to come to terms with it as best I can, but I won’t come around to accepting it.”

He continued: “Jade has always given me motivation and there’s an added fire in my belly now that I’m doing it in her memory.

“There are so many great memories I have of Jade. She was there when I was born and by my side all through my life, she taught me so much.”

Davies, who is looking to extend his perfect professional record to 9-0 tomorrow night, also paid tribute to trainer Gavin Rees.

He added: “When everything happened, nothing else mattered. Boxing wasn’t given a second thought for a good few weeks.

“Gavin slowly but surely dragged me back into the gym and I’ve got to give massive thanks to him, not just for being a coach but for looking out for me and my well-being.

“You don’t get a lot of that these days, so I’m very grateful.

“It was terrible getting back into training. I sustained an injury when getting into Jade’s house after she collapsed and was on crutches for a week or two.

“Even when I mustered up the energy to go back to the gym, there were certain things I couldn’t do.”

He went on to say: “It has shaken my faith. It has shaken my entire life. Everything I believed in and thought turned out not to be the case.

“People say there’s always a reason for things. What was the reason for that? What’s the reason for Sonny (Davies’ nephew) growing up without a mother? There is no reason for that.

“There’s no reason for my sister to not be here today.

“I can’t understand that, and I can’t comprehend a reason that would be good enough to explain that.”

Pontllanfraith RFC will host a ‘Jade Fest’ fundraiser on Saturday, July 20 (3pm) with money raised going to Headway Cardiff at Rookwood Hospital and the children’s charity 2 Wish Upon A Star.

Kody Davies would like to thank the following sponsors for their support: Lee Batchelor at Batch Plant, Richie Morgan at TopSpec Motors, Luke Mann at KingMade, Empire Pro Tape, Simon Waite at S&W Trenching, Chris McNeil at CMBC Building Services and Marmaris Barber Shop.

He would also like to thank Luke Mann at KingMade and Suzi Wong for their work on the T-shirts and shorts he will be wearing for the fight.