Shannan Davey

A deal with his older brother 10 years ago – which involved one too many slices of pizza – got Bundaberg’s Shannan Davey into boxing and has him on track to Paris.

Shannan was 13 and living with his family in the northern NSW town of Narrabri when he made the pact with his brother.

“I was living in Narrabri and playing footy and let’s just say I was a bit overweight at that time,” Shannan said. “I was eating pizza, when my brother said if I put down the slice he’d let me go to boxing with him – I loved every second of it and now I watch what I eat, and it’s not pizza.”

With limited opportunities to advance his boxing career in Narrabri, Shannan moved to Bundaberg to train with renowned boxing coach Attila Kovacs.

“My sister lived up here in Bundaberg, and I knew who the Kovacs boys were, so I jumped at the opportunity to move here and train with Attila,” he said. “That was three years ago and now my parents live here too.”

A two-time Australian champion, Shannan represented Australia at the 2023 World Championships in Uzbekistan before heading to the Pacific Games in Honiara, Solomon Islands, in an attempt to win a quota spot for the Paris Olympics.

He made it to the final, where he outclassed New Zealand’s Wendell Stanley in the 71kg gold medal bout by unanimous decision.

“My goal is to get the Olympic gold medal,” Shannan said.