Conversation with a living legend: Steve Davis | Ronnie O'Sullivan Show | Snooker | Eurosport

[@AminAramoon]

There is a lesson to be learned from Steve Davis's humility. What a legend.

[@dublinsfaircity]

What's that lesson?

[@beachlife2968]

He has bundles of humility now but didn't when he lost to Dennis Taylor in 1985. A winner at sport has to be selfish and have total focus.

[@tonester09]

He's probably to humble, he constantly plays down his achievements. To me he's the greatest player ever to hold a snooker cue

[@underneonloneliness2]

@@tonester09 In the 80’s yes

[@petergreen5337]

His humility is frankly amazing. Its like he is two different people ,the player and commentator are fundamental opposites. Then of course is his having a 5000 record blues record collection.

[@AnonymousYouTuber_1]

I like it when they show Ronnie's face in this interview because you can see how much he is listening and how much he respects Steve

[@sj460162]

Agreed

[@t7612-v6h]

And Steve is virtually tearing up due to the respect he has for Lonnie.

[@simatbirch]

MJbestMJbest Hendry’s the greatest of all time.

[@Broken-Silencer]

Glad it's all about you.

[@yussepig6629]

Hendry is 3rd in my view because he didn’t have longevity. At his peak he’s 2nd behind Ronnie

[@petergreen5337]

Steve Davis brought Focus, practice and dedication to the game. It was truly spellbinding.

[@tonynaccarato4751]

Honest, pure, humble, Steve a great player, met him in Toronto 1978, Canadian Championships, great lad.

[@johnsrabe]

This is possibly the best sport interview I’ve ever seen … because Davis is so honest about what was in his mind. No “I gave 110%” and “you win some you lose some” or any other cliche BS.

[@sj460162]

Agreed

[@Broken-Silencer]

Glad it's all about you.

[@thesoultwins72]

Angelino...…..Totally agree. Steve Davis is very honest in his assessment of the standard of both himself as well as other players in 'his day'. Indeed, it's very telling that despite the fact he regularly 'crushed' many of his rivals - he only accumulated 355 competitive century breaks during his entire career! [compare that with Ronnie O'Sullivan who has over 1000!] What led to Davis being so successful was that he practiced far longer and harder than anyone else. Davis studied billiards and snooker legend Joe Davis's technique religiously. He also developed a very close relationship with revered and revolutionary snooker coach Frank Callan - who worked tirelessly with him to hone his technique, especially his cue action, how to address the shot, cue ball control, follow-through [Davis would stay down for 5-10 seconds after making the shot] and so on. Nobody else at that time had the same levels of dedication and commitment. In fact, Alex Higgins [who was my favourite player in the 70's & 80's] and exceptionally 'gifted' was technically dreadful. That's why once Higgin's natural talent began to fade he had no technique to fall back on. Unfairly, Davis was labeled as 'boring' and 'dull' because of this - yet in a way, he was the forerunner to the 'modern' snooker player.

[@johnhiggins1600]

@@thesoultwins72 Yes he only accumulated 355 century breaks because the cloth was much harder to play on. It was a lot thicker. They decided to make the cloth a lot thinner in the 90s and so reds would break easier and game more exciting. It is a big mistake to think "oh he got fewer centuries." And note that with a thicker cloth, the general standard of play would be "lower" because of fewer high breaks etc. Another, there are way many more ranking tournaments now than in the 80s. In the early 80s there were only 2 ranking tournaments a year. You need to take all that into account. Davis would still have dominated if he'd played during these days.

[@jamesgallagher1992]

@@johnhiggins1600 agreed👍

[@johncallaghan4143]

Steve selling himself short in this interview. He is humble. He is one of the greats of all time.

[@alanross2790]

Hated him in the eighties but what a player he was. Humble here and that speaks volumes for me .

[@markwhittaker6866]

Absolutely agree with you.

[@rampageashton]

Steve is so self-deprecating. He plays down his own brilliance, he was a monster plain and simple. Love the guy.

[@ameyrajadhyax8743]

Steve Davis is truly a living legend. Ronnie admires Steve Davis & Stephen Hendry a lot. They all r gr8 players. Gift to Snooker

[@stuart4860]

the top 3 of all time..........for now, Judd could well be the best of all time

[@alvinator5203]

Jimmy white is his all time.

[@stuart4860]

@SavageArfad in the last year who has been the dominant player, he is 5th on most centuries and 8th for ranking titles, Ronnie has said he expects Judd to over take his ranking titles, you're obviously a casual

[@jamesgallagher1992]

🤣🤣🤣

[@Darth_Sai]

@@stuart4860 this comment aged so poorly 😂

[@propjoe1060]

Steve Davis is the greatest champion that snooker has ever produced. Incredible ambassador for the game.

[@laurencerapaccioli201]

I love the brutal honesty in this interview, that you're only really going to get when one of the greatest players there's ever been is interviewing one of the other greatest players there's ever been. Superb.

[@nomchompsky3012]

I love how honest Steve Davis is about his career. Very few elite sportspeople are humble enough to analyse their era and say it wasn't as good as the current era. What I would say is, Davis sells himself short - he still made 300+ centuries in an era when the done thing was to score 70-80 then play safe. If he grew up in the 90s he would've been a much better player.

[@R3RLEE]

Make your mind up you cant two greatest players there has ever been!!😂😂😂😂😂

[@viptunes]

Love the way Ronnie's eyes light up when Steve mentions "Slaughtering"...What Ronnie has done really over the last 25 years.

[@Realpoweronearth]

Steve Davis gave other players huge hammerings even in finals!!!

[@markwhittaker6866]

@@Realpoweronearth He sure did.

[@markwhittaker6866]

😂😂😂😂😂 He sure has.

[@Sabre_Wulf1]

Best snooker interview i have ever witnessed in 40 years

[@DannyMac786]

yes so true

[@da_great_mogul]

Tune into Hendry's Cue Tips... then you'll revise your view of Mr. Bean / Paul McCartney / Rodney Trotter being the best snooker interviewer. Lol.

[@williamstdog9]

This could have been literally 5 times longer and I would’ve been SPELLBOUND by it .. great admiration on BOTH sides. Davis (and a very few others) deserves a documentary about him. Humble and terrific guy.. if only more athletes in more sports were like this I would watch more sports!! Only most Hockey greats come close to this level of humbleness.

[@theshutyourmouthguy]

Shut your mouth.

[@terryteo7463]

Two legends having a conversation.

[@davidhanley248]

I'm 43 years old and I've watched Ronnie, Higgins and Mark williams from start of there career but Steve Davis was the reason I first started watching snooker in about 1985. Thanks Steve I love snooker with a passion.

[@patrickcrowther9195]

Steve Davis was my snooker hero. I loved watching him play for his whole career. I think I enjoyed some of his later matches when he won even more because it was such an achievement. A true legend and by all accounts a great human being.

[@pcl1238]

How come Steve hasn’t been knighted yet? He’s a legend.

[@Turboginge]

Damn good point... And yet Lewser Hamiltwat has been recommended??? Steves done way more sport than that crybaby has

[@soulveiw]

Because he isnt a pedo

[@gerryryan]

Her Majesty is a Jimmy White fan

[@mariamalik4810]

I just don't think you'll ever get a Sir Snooker... Ronnie & Hendry should be in the conversation too...

[@airbritain]

Probably have access to his search histor and thought...nah

[@cuggyboysmith81]

Love this! My two favourite snooker players. If you took O'Sullivan's pure genius and tallent, and added Steve's mental toughness and matchplay, you would have snooker perfection. Unbeatable! Love it that Ronnie says to Davis that he was his hero. That must mean so much to him coming from the best player ever

[@silkuk8417]

Great comment. That would indeed be the perfect player.

[@sj460162]

True

[@jameslittler4151]

Aka Stephen Hendry

[@cuggyboysmith81]

@@jameslittler4151 Stephen who?

[@jameslittler4151]

daniel titmus The Hend! Quite simply the greatest snooker player who has ever lived. At his peak, pure perfection.

[@nickpayne7964]

Opening line by Ronnie. Thanks for having me. It's his show. That's respect

[@TMANDHL]

I had the pleasure of meeting Steve at Glastonbury last year. His band The Utopia Strong was playing on a stage we were helping to run. He was my hero growing up, and the old saying 'never meet your heroes', could not be further from the truth as far as Mr. Davis is concerned. A real gent. Humble, approachable, brilliant. My inner 10 year old, who used to sleep in his waistcoat and bow tie, was in awe and yet at ease. A proper legend.

[@terryallen5328]

Nice to see two of the greats talking to each other in this way. I had no idea that Ronnie idolised Steve in this way. Ronnie is my favourite player of all time but huge respect to Steve for his honesty and humbleness. He should have been knighted by now anyway as he’s been a model professional and ambassador for the game of snooker.

[@viptunes]

The Man who put snooker on the map..Steve Davis was/is an ambassador for the game.You have to admire his brutal honesty in this great interview.

[@brianvincent655]

Alex put it on the map!!!!!!!! His inconsistency and yet never bettered defining moments of magic may have resulted in major underachievement but to exclude him as the one player who put snooker on the map is blatantly ridiculous!!!!!!!

[@NoosaHeads]

Such _immense_ mutual respect. Wonderful to see that Steve Davis is a genuinely honest, sincere and humble man.

[@stargazerlse]

Ronnie’s voice is so gentle, it’s really not the tough and serious face he gives when he’s playing

[@JOHN-tk6vl]

Ronnie is quite a good interviewer.

[@akshaysewcharan7932]

I love how candid Steve is. He has achieved greatness, and he knows just how good he was/is!

[@kevmccormick1767]

To be that great and dominant you need that ego/arrogance/confidence all are basically the same thing

[@TerryClarkAccordioncrazy]

@arsenal0782 Jimmy was always more fun to watch but nobody can take away from Davis the sheer self discipline that won his awesome success

[@geoffjoffy]

First time I have seen Steve that candid.

[@roblaa3198]

Ronnie is great at interviewing he actually let's the guest speak and listens. Very refreshing

[@unknown_7148]

It's nice to see Ronnie doing the interviews he seems really good at it

[@timothybolshaw]

I agree. Ronnie chose excellent questions, and this was very informative for a 10 minute interview.

[@unknown_7148]

@@timothybolshaw you can tell that these two have the best snooker brains

[@xmikerx666]

Asks the question then shuts up for the answer. Wish more interviewers would do this.

[@robday3968]

Steve is just a total legend - I mean how can you not like Steve Davis?

[@jlatirl4316]

Plenty found a way to not like him. He only became popular when he started to lose. Great champion and the bar wasn't just raised Steve raised it

[@bobbranches7530]

What a bonus, being able to hear two, of the three most accomplished players of the “tv era” snooker. I like Hendry quite a lot, he might have been more influential for the progress of the game with his aggresive stance, but these two guys have a very special place in my snooker-loving heart.

[@AlexDeLarge77]

Steve is a really nice fella. In my opinion one of the most informative and insightful voices on the game. You can tell he absolutely loves Snooker and is humble and honest. A true ambassador for the game. Great interview by Ronnie, you can tell they are mates. I remember that Masters final and it’s the only time I didn’t want Ronnie to win.

[@davidhanley248]

Great interview. Steve being very hard on himself in this interview. Was some player 100 hundred percent.

[@mattylee7620]

Two out of the best 3 players ever. A pleasure to watch. 6 world 👑's each. Amazing.

[@hodderpaul]

Steve brought snooker up a level.

[@JohnConboy1]

Very enjoyable interview. Real openness and honesty from Steve, especially in regard to how he felt about Stephen Hendry coming on to the scene. Well done 👏👏👏

[@DaveT383]

This is wonderful to watch. Two legends. Dunno what to say except that I am happy to have lived to see them both, as well as their contemporaries.

[@TheDantheman12121]

I think steve Davis was probably the player who was the hardest worker. I heard a commentator once say that Davis does not have much natural talent but he was such a hard worker and that is why he was the best.

[@jamesoconnell5487]

Steve Davis is an absolute legend and a gentleman. So knowledgable about the game. Great guy.

[@MizunoIronMan]

The mutual respect here just makes for a brilliant interview.

[@nikkonordevil2882]

My two biggest heroes . . I came from Norway as a kid not knowing what snooker was . . ended up being a huge Steve Davis fan . . . . then I lost contact with the sport because of work . . . coming back into the world there was Ronnie . . . I really loved watching this . . . will save the page . . .

[@josephwolfe1833]

One of the best interviews I've ever seen. In the 80's I was a Steve Davis fan and I hated Steven Hendry for a long time because he took over. I've been a Ronnie fan for at least the last 20 years, partially because he took over from Hendry. Seeing my two heroes chatting like that made it a very special interview, thanks for posting this!!!

[@MichaelClaesson]

What an honest and humble interview. Newfound respect for Davis.

[@samsabruskongen4081]

Steve Davies is such an amazing guy - utter legend.

[@yukiomishima33]

This is the only time ive seen ronnie look genuinely happy to be having a conversation with someone

[@Spencerlayne]

So humble.

[@timothyhowell8565]

Love the fact that Ronnie lets Steve talk. He was the only one to beat in the 80’, sooner or later if you won you would meet him.

[@thommagnusson8449]

This is the kind of interview many sports fans like to watch. No unnecessary interrupts, annoying hosts with irrelevant questions or diving too deep into technical stuff. Just two legends having a talk. Very rewarding.

[@johnsrabe]

This is the second time I’ve watched this interview all the way through in just a few months. I’m still impressed by how candid Steve Davis is. I also think it’s just a really great video for anybody who is over 50 if they’ve had some success when they were younger. He forces you to evaluate what’s important and what’s not, and how your ego fits into the picture.good stuff and thanks for posting.

[@andysmith5997]

It’s still great to see how much Ronnie still loves him.

[@cocoomalov3r]

once his father passed away that was it, steve and dad were a team, a year or so before his dad passed, steve came all the way to durham to our local working mans club to play an exibition and they drove all the way from london just the two of them to do it. his dad followed him evrywhere not just big tournoments. it was a fantastsic night. respect steve and bill (rip) davis. best snooker player ever.

[@themaconeau]

The most honest and heartfelt interview you will see this year. 😎

[@CSRunner7]

Loved interview. My 2 favourite players of all time.

[@MaximusLab1982]

Love how humble Steve is here when describing the standard of the day. Class act

[@Jay_Eddo]

This interview is gold probably the most honest I’ve seen Steve Davis.

[@dlamiss]

What a superb interview. Could have listened to an hour of this

[@louiem2]

This is great to see Ronnie interviewing Steve here. Massive respect displayed by the Rocket here, and Romford Slim has always been a class act throughout his career.

[@prateekratna]

What an honest great interview! Great man Steve to let us in on his rivalry with Hendry!

[@troyberber2324]

Steve Davis, a gentleman of the sport and a true sportsman in general. You’re a legend, Sir; and also the reason I started cue sports.

[@purpleman3292]

A real gentleman, a true ambassador. I used to always support Alex against Steve, but looking at Steve he was so convincing nearly all 9f the time. A great role model for any 1 to follow.

[@HDsharp]

To be fair to Steve, he was the original Goat, in the end, he ended up playing against himself so many times because all the players after him that was any good molded their game after Steve. Of course S.Hendry added another dimension to the game which turned him into the Terminator of snooker.

[@SimonPhillips76]

This is precisely how an interview should be conducted.

[@terrycharnley]

One of the best interviews I've ever seen. I have always thought that Steve might have had some sort of interview or media training, because when he spoke in interviews during his 80s dominance and after that, he always spoke very well. I loved what he said about his rivalry with Hendry for example, having all his sweets in a jar of his own, then all of a sudden, they were spilled and Hendry had them all. Thanks lots for uploading.

[@leemcmurray880]

2 legends !!! Love steve’s honesty

[@FoxyFreddie]

This is amazing, how insightful and gentle an interview can be, I'm impressed with them both.

[@beachlife2968]

I think it worked because Ronnie showed him a huge amount of admiration and Steve was flattered and opened up and showed the same admiration back at Ronnie.

[@MrH77]

What a great Interview this was. I was a massive Davis fan in the mid 80s and onwards, I watched the '85 final on TV aged 8 and was gutted he lost. Steve talking about the loss to Hendry in the UK Championship being the turning point was very erm, interesting. He was still no.2 up until the mid 90s, but he was indeed the player of the 80s. The win vs Ronnie in 1997 was sweet though, his last major win; it was like being in the 80s again.

[@ste9954]

Some of the best answers given in any interview, anywhere. Pure honesty, and alot I didnt know.

[@ysgol3]

Marvellous interview - Ronnie's a natural interviewer too ! And Steve was so direct and interesting. (He was never ever boring BTW, I saw him give an exhibition in the early 80s and he was hilarious.)

[@tonywilson9606]

What a heartfelt, soulful and kind interview. Lovely.

[@network735]

Steve is such a gentleman. This is one the the best players ever. His trick shots are second to none.

[@garethparr649]

My favourite player was always Alex Higgins for all the usual reasons but Davis was far and away the best player in the 80s he never missed and he was such a master tactician. Brilliant all round and a fantastic ambassador for snooker!

[@M4BoarBiker]

I so agree, back in the 80's I loved to watch Alex, didn't like it when Mr Interesting beat him. Yet all these years on i have grown to respect Steve Davis as a player and as a man. A great guy.

[@garethparr649]

M4 Boar yes I’m excatley the same. My dear old dad bless him was a Davis fan and I was in Alex corner and he ust to wind me up and as we all know most of the time steve would beat Alex when they met apart from on a couple of occasions. What was nice and moving to see is just how much steve respected Alex when you watch any documentary’s there’s real affection there even tho the intense rivalry between them. But know I really like steve and respect him for the legend and lovely guy he is.

[@khalidbinwalid4252]

Loved the honesty in this interview.

[@smackeye]

This was great, love how wonderfully open and candid Steve was.

[@MrOliverwoods]

This insight to a sportsman’s mental state when stressed is fantastic, but better yet is SD’s response to the obstacles. Thx and who couldn’t like this ?

[@ThatGuyThanus]

Two of the greatest. Great interview. Massive mutual respect. Lovely to see.

[@عيسىعيسىعيسىعيسى-خ6ي]

The best candid interview to Steve Davis I have ever seen..

[@tonynaccarato4751]

Great interview, ronnie very gracious and steve very clear, and honest with his answers, beautiful to watch.

[@myleslawler6866]

Fascinating insight.

[@knockholt69]

Great interview from these two champions. So nice to listen to them without background music spoiling it.

[@TheSiemek]

Amazing honesty. Very rarely any pro athlete says that he hated his opponent or that he knew he was lucky at the time.

[@predawnbobcat]

So much humility and mutual respect in this interview. Love that Ronnie is always willing to listen to, and learn from those who came before him. This is the only sport that i know of where competitors have so much humility and respect for one another.

[@thelastsamurai5583]

I love how Steve is so honest about competition during his era and now...we all know that’s the truth

[@24magiccarrot]

No question about that. The 100th ranked player now would easily be a top 3 player in the 80s.

[@62433N]

It is true in all sports and will always be this way and I second you loving the fact that he’s such a genuine person who is not afraid to acknowledge the harsh truth

[@garyconyers-davies5781]

@@24magiccarrot I'm not so sure about that, especially after Ronnie's comments about the lack of depth in the game now ouside the top 50.

[@pappy374]

@@garyconyers-davies5781 Also, players can't keep improving on an infinite scale.

[@alanchamberlain9902]

@@garyconyers-davies5781 Ronnie is so good that’s why there is more depth than ever before.

[@mrm8839]

This is a fascinating conversation and can be seen in the context of many other sports.

[@user-ch6ti5cc2e]

"But I used to roll with the ball and the cue like Steve Davis" -Skepta. Living legend to this day represented by one of the most respected UK grime MC's

[@paulelliott3056]

What a truly lovely interview! Really enjoyed that

[@lolmoreland3605]

two great guys and sportsmen.

[@robinwells5343]

Steve getting super emotional when ronnie was talking about playing against him. Show the immense respect there

[@steveforwarduk]

The strength is shown not in winning, but how we handle losing. Steve Davis was a formidable force that shook the snooker world on it's head in the 1980s. Big respect to that man. A true living legend.

[@soulagogo1159]

Like every body else has said , what a fantastic interview . You can tell that Ronnie is listening to every word Steve said , trying to pick his brains and learn from Steve. That tells you just how much Ronnie admires Steve Davis. Back in the 80’s I was a whirlwind fan and always thought that Steve was boring and not very interesting , but we have all learned how funny he can be , and so very honest . Steve treated snooker has a job and wasn’t concerned about looking good. Without a doubt he is the reason snooker took off in the 80’s , because 90% of the public wanted to see him lose. Eventually time and age catch up on you , and Hendry retired when he saw the Rocket , John Higgins over taking him . Fanatics interview , and thank you for posting it on here.

[@Bravilor]

I discovered Steve Davis around 2005 and started liking him a lot. He was playing competitively but losing a lot. I never got to see him dominate. And in interviews he downplays his greatness. And the old match you hear the most about is when he lost the world final in 1985. So all in all, despite being a big fan of someone who once was the best in his sport for a long time, I have never been fed any gloriousness on account of him.

[@tytn9978]

What a treat! The two snooker players I admire! Steve, at his best, was the consummate professional. Ronnie is still the most exciting player to watch, win OR lose! It is so interesting to listen to these two champions discussing snooker and snooker players.

[@RZPPAA]

Bloody hell I wish I could go to a pub with these for an afternoon, could listen to them all day.

[@MadLFC]

Refreshing to see Steve Davis be humble enough to accept that while he was miles ahead of his rivals during his era he was not as good as the generation of players that came after him. Hendry being an example of the new standard of player to come along followed by O'Sullivan. Regardless of his views there is no doubt that players like Hendry and O'Sullivan greatly admire Steve Davis for the exceptional standard and consistency he maintained during the best years of his career. Total legend.

[@yussepig6629]

What a find! Great interview with ‘interesting’ questions. Never seen Ronnie look so star struck like a little fanboy. You tend to believe his current arrogant media image but seeing him like this is Adorable. And Steve is brutally honest here as he values Ronnie and wants to give back.

[@kennethli470]

Yeah, think Ronnie would only talk like this when he's talking to Steve.

[@stalkek]

Wow, maybe the most enjoyable sporting interview I’ve ever seen. Two greats allowing each other to talk. Superb.

[@mickodillon1480]

Great interview

[@adamglasgow9268]

Best snooker interview I have seen in a while. Cheers

[@leecorcoran6174]

Legend meets a legend 👍👍

[@derekcomer4858]

What I love about this is how much Ronnie clearly still holds Steve in such high regard, fabulous. And Steve is just a very nice bloke, and funny too 😊

[@jasonjones5357]

Great sport, I had the privelidge of watching Reardon, Griffiths, Higgins, Davis, White, Hendry, Williams, Higgins, but never forget the characters not just the winners. Virgo, Thorne, Werbineck, Drago, the list goes on..........wonderful times and wonderful guys

[@reds005]

What a brilliant interview, well it was more like a chat. Loved Davis as a kid and his candidness is further endearing. Love how respectful Ronnie is and you can see how much he enjoyed talking to him.

[@hypegamergig1785]

What a pleasure to watch this!!