DODSON CLAIMS IBO TITLE - RINGSIDE REPORT

by Elliot Foster, aged 15

Tony Dodson added the IBO International light-heavyweight title to his collection of belts before setting his sights on a British title fight next year.
Another great fight night took place on Saturday 8th October, all courtesy of Vaughan Boxing Promotions, as Dodson led the charge on a cracking night of boxing. Three other Liverpool fighters - Joe Tonks, Phil Smith and Andy Colquhoun - also bagged wins to the delight of the home crowd. Yet it was Dodson's thrilling performance against Oldham's Darren Stubbs that really stood out.
At 39 years of age. Stubbs showed incredible fitness and bravery to survive seven rounds against the revitalised former British champion. But ultimately it was the class of Dodson's boxing which proved decisive. Dodson entered the ring on Saturday with - after 34 contests - a record of 27 wins, of which 13 have come by knockout, six losses and one technical draw.
He commented in the programme for the event that moving to light-heavyweight was the best thing to ever happen to him. And it was easy to agree with him after a performance which proved he's back to his phenomenal best.
Ahead of the headliner, the animosity within the crowd was fever pitch, with both sets of fans from opposing ends of the M62 giving one another all kinds of stick - which made for a good atmosphere.
In the first round, as soon as that bell went, Dodson outlined his intentions and landed a few telling punches, letting Stubbs that he was in for a tough night.
Sitting ringside with the cream of Merseyside's fight writers, including Chris Walker, Nick Peet and the ECHO's Phil Kirkbride, the debate centred around exactly which Tony Dodson was going to come out to fight. Would it be the new and improved Dodson keen to display his boxing ability, or the all too familiar Dodo that likes to get into a war and a scrap - thereby playing to the level of his opponent.

But as early as the second round it was easy to see that the boxer was in the house, as Dodson began to stamp his authority. He unleashed a barrage of punches on Stubbs. Though Dodson knew he was hurting Stubbs, the man from Oldham withstood everything that the man from Garston gave to him and he even gave him a few punches back. But as the fight flowed, you could tell that the pressure was getting to the veteran. In the third, Dodson continued the pressure with unrelenting jabs and uppercuts. At one point, the referee jumped in and it appeared the contest would be stopped, as Dodson had literally punched Stubbs through the ropes. In my opinion, the ref should've stopped the fight there and then, but bizarrely, he stood him up and let the fight continue.
Unbelievably, after almost being carried out, the fourth and fifth rounds both belonged to Darren Stubbs for me. Dodson took his foot off the gas and allowed Stubbs to work his way back into the action. By now Stubbs' right eye was bleeding badly and he was growing increasingly tired while 'The Warrior' stood off, protecting himself, and clearly biding his time.
With Stubbs now shattered Dodson took over again and the sixth and seventh rounds were solely his. He continued to dominate with combinations and, I think by that stage, Stubbs knew his fate - he knew there was no way he could win this fight. In the corners at the end of the sixth, Stubbs looked like he couldn't take any more. And the end came pretty soon after, Dodson winning by TKO following the unleashing of another strong barrage of punches to finish it off.
Stubbs is a brave kid with a lot of heart - anyone that's able to withstand what he did on Saturday must be fit and tough. It was a brave effort, but Dodson was in a different league and topped a polished performance with the stoppage he deserved.
The undercard as equally as enthralling, with Scotland's Sean Watson defeating Dai Davies of Merthyr in Wales by a unanimous points decision in the opening bout. The referee's scorecard read a final score of 59-56, after a blood and guts fight with both boxers going hell for leather trying to find the knockout punch to end the fight. Luckily for the paying spectators, the bout went the distance of six two-minute rounds. After the first fight caught the attention of the large crowd, the charge of the Scouse brigade began. Joe Tonks was up against Graham Fearn from York in only his fifth paid contest. Joe, along with
And Stockbridge Village flyweight Phil Smith and former Sefton ABC junior star Andy Colquhoun both won against their respective opponents. Smith, who moved to 2-0. faced the aptly nicknamed 'Egyptian Mummy', Anwar Alfadi from Sheffield; while Colquhoun made his pro debut against another Scotsman in Glasgow's Ryan McNicol. Both lads bagged points victories to top another great night of smal hall boxing on Merseyside.

BELLEW CLOSING ON CLEVERLY

WBO light-heavyweight title challenger Tony Bellew is ready to stop all the talking and concentrate on his world title fight against champion Nathan Cleverly next month.

The pair have had heated arguments at a number of press conference since May, and Bellew can't wait to show what he can do in the ring on Saturday 15th October at Liverpool's Echo Arena.

"All the talking has been done," he said. "The press conferences have all been done again this time around, but now I'm just looking forward to stepping back in the ring.

"I'm now just going to let my boxing do the talking, because it doesn't matter what I say, all that matters from here on in is what I do in the build up to October 15th."

 

 

Both fighters will also be putting their unbeaten records on the line and the Liverpool boxer believes it will be the toughest bout so far for the pair.

"I've been tested and my chin has been tested. I think this fight is going to be a huge test for both of us," said Bellew.

"Nathan is good at what he does, he's got fast feet and good hands with a good variety of punches. However there is nothing from him that I haven't seen before.

"This is the biggest fight so far for the two of us, I'm the best opponent he's faced. He knows I'm better than Karo Murat, he knows I'm better than Antonio Brancalion and he knows I'm a lot better than Nadjib Mohammedi.

"And I know he is better than Ovill McKenzie and all the other fighters I've faced before. We both have questions to answer."

Tickets, priced at £50, £100, £150 and £250, are available from the Echo Arena box office on 0844 8000 400 or online at: www.echoarena.com

 

 

CLEVERLY: BELLEW JUST A DECENT TEST

It’s been four months since the pair first squared off at the infamous press conference at London's O2 Arena and WBO world light-heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly admits he can't wait to finally get in the ring with Tony Bellew.

There has been plenty of tension between the two unbeaten boxers heading into the October 15th blockbuster at the Liverpool Echo Arena, but Cleverly is looking forward to finally stepping between the ropes.

“I’m looking forward to the fight right now,” he said. “A lot has been said, and there has been a lot of hype around the fight, but I’m glad all the press conferences are done now and I can concentrate on training.

“We can finally get on with business, this is where the real talking begins - with out fists. I’m raring to go, I’ve been training well, there’s not that long to go until the fight and we can finally see who’s number one once and for all.”

During the five-month build up to the showdown there has been a lot of bad blood between the duo, however, Cleverly has some respect for his rival.

“It’s a challenge and I’m not taking it lightly,” Cleverly continued. “I have respect for my opponent, at the end of the day once you’re in that ring you’ve got to have respect for your opponent.

 

 

“He’ll be in there trying to win the fight as well and anything can happen. In training, if you haven’t got any respect for your opponent it is difficult to get motivated and you’ll end up taking that attitude into the fight.

“It’s important you respect all your opponents, regardless of their records, weather they are a big name or not, you’ve got to appear like a champion and I’m making sure I do that.”

With that being said Cleverly hasn’t seen much from his opponent that is giving him sleepless nights.

“Tony’s recent performances have been okay,” the 24-year-old commented. “He had an up and down fight with Ovill McKenzie and I think that showed his level really.

“Obviously, he won quite comfortably in the rematch, he boxed okay, nothing special but it was bad either, it was a solid performance. He’s going to be a decent test for me but I can’t see it being anything greater than that.”

Cleverly is currently unbeaten in 22 fights and will be looking to make that 23. Should he win, comparisons will start to be drawn with unbeaten Welsh boxer Joe Calzaghe.

“It nice to be mentioned in the same way as Joe actually and in that type of company, and to be expected to emulated those kind of achievements is a bit of a boost for me.

“It shows people have expectations of me and they really expect me to go on and achieve big things. That in turn can give you great confidence and I do take confidence from that.

“In a way you really want to go out there and prove your supporters and fans right and not to let them down.” 

Tickets, priced at £50, £100, £150 and £250, are available from the Echo Arena Box Office on 0844 8000 400 or online at: www.echoarena.com

 

 

PRIZEFIGHTER NICK by Tony Stapleton

Prizefighter returns on Thursday night

eight hungry warriors up for the fight

All of them fit and raring to go

to make it a tough exciting show

A classic mix of boxers will try

to win the tournament live on sky

To take their career to new heights

and pave the way to title fights

Old hands and novices among the bill

bring a mixture of aggression speed and skill

It's hard to choose from this talented few

The prizefighter champion....... Who'll win through ?

A local talent is making the trip

to take part in this championship

A raw young novice who oozes style

will bid to make it all worthwhile

Born of a fighting dynasty

ready to fulfill his destiny

Prizefighter will pave the way

For young Nick Quigley to seize the day

In every fight he'll give his all

His pride will keep him standing tall

He has the heart there is no doubt

round by round he'll knock them all out

Come on Nick and take this chance

lead the others a merry dance

The time is right just for you

to defeat and retire Takaloo

Tony Stapo 10/9/11

ROCKY RETURNS TO THE OLYMPIA

Rocky Fielding is looking to put on a showpiece performance when he steps into the ring at the Liverpool Olympia on Saturday against Portsmouth's Paul Morby.

Fielding's birth name is Michael and the obvious link with him being called Rocky, like the iconic Sylvester Stallone character in the hit film, isn't actually the case.

"It's nothing to do with the films actually," he explains. "When I was born I was 10lbs, so I was like a little rock,

"My dad called me The Rock and as the years have gone on I’ve played football before I started boxing and all my mates would call me Rocky ever since. It's a good name to have as a boxer, but my style is a bit different to 'The Rocky'."

Fielding has fond memories of the Olympia, it was the venue where he beat three men in the one night Prizefighter tournament to win the trophy.

It was also the venue of his second professional fight, where he beat Lee Duncan in November last year and the Liverpool boxer has promised another victory there.

"The Olympia is a bit of a good luck omen for me," he says. "As well as winning Prizefighter I had my second pro fight there as well,

"I'm proud to fight at that venue, it's only five minutes from where I live, so I always get great great support and the whole city gets behind me,

"Hopefully, there will be a bit of deja vu to what happened at the Prizefighter, but instead of three knockouts there will only be one."

'Rocky from Stocky' has only had a few weeks' notice for Morby, but feels his participation with Prizefighter has helped him prepare for this fight at short notice.

"Taking part in Prizefighter has been a good help with this fight," the 24-year-old continued. "You have three fights in one night and you are fighting different opponents with different styles,

"I'm ready to fight anyone, a southpaw or orthodox but I'm ready to fight,

"I originally hadn't been training for a southpaw, however in the last two weeks, we have brought in a number of southpaw boxers, after it was announced I will be fighting Paul. Everything has been spot on with sparring."

 

 

Fielding is well aware of what his opponent on Saturday is capable of and has watched Morby in action.

"I watched him box (Beijing Olympian) Tony Jeffries about two weeks ago," he said. "I've got it recorded on Sky, so after training I sit down for a couple of hours and just go over things from that fight.

"He's a good southpaw, he knows the game, against Jeffries, Paul made him look ordinary, but I'm not going to let him make me look ordinary.

"I'm going to put a show on in my hometown and show him the difference, but he is a tough lad, and his last three fights have been 10 rounds so he knows what he's doing but he hasn't been in there with anyone like me yet."

Fielding features on the undercard of Stephen Smith's British and Commonwealth Featherweight title defence against Lee Selby, live on Sky Sports 1HD.

Tickets are still on sale from the Olympia box office on 0151 6236633.

DeGALE ADDED TO ECHO ARENA WORLD TITLE CARD

James DeGale's challenge for the European super-middleweight title will act as chief support to the explosive world title showdown between city favourite Tony Bellew and Nathan Cleverly at the Liverpool Echo Arena.

The former British champion gets straight back into title contention against the reigning champion Piotr Wilczewski from Roztocznik in Poland on Saturday, October 15th.

Promoter Frank Warren confirmed the addition today at a press conference in London today.

DeGale, who won the British title in Liverpool when he beat Scouse star Paul Smith, said: "I'm looking forward to returning to Liverpool to fight for the European title in what will be a good fight for the fans.

"I had a great win there when I beat Paul Smith in December to claim the British title and although he was the local favourite then, I hope the fans will come out and support me.

"Piotr is a good tough champion and he looks like a right handful, this is really tough fight for me and I'm expecting him to bring the best out in me on the night.

"It's fantastic that I'm challenging for the European title in my first fight back and I'm going to take the title."

An action packed undercard features Liverpool's former British champion Smith along with unbeaten Liverpool prospects Joe Selkirk, Rocky Fielding and Liam Smith, plus Ellesmere Port's unbeaten talent Paul Butler.

 

A further title fight on the card sees 2008 Olympian and unbeaten pro Billy Joe Saunders challenge for the first title of his career when he takes on Southern Area middleweight champion Gary Bouldon while the card also contains Oldham prospet Ronnie Heffron, Welsh stars Craig Evans and Tobias Webb, along with the highly anticipated professional debut of Hyde cruiserweight Danny "Boom Boom" Benson.

 

Tickets are on sale now from the arena box office.

SMITH NOT BELLEW HEADLINES OLYMPIA SHOW

Featherweight hot-shot Stephen Smith will kick off the new boxing season by headlining the Liverpool Olympia show on Saturday, 17th September - after replacing Tony Bellew as the main event.

 

Smith, one of Britain's fast rising stars and heavily tipped as a future Scouse world champion, makes the first defence of the British title and will also put his Commonwealth belt on the line against Welshman Lee Selby, live on Sky Sports.

 

However, the bill was originally due to be headlined by city favourite 'Bomber' Bellew, defending his British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight straps against Sheffield's Paul David. That match-up has been ditched, which raises questions as to whether Bellew will instead challenge Nathan Cleverly for the world title.

Both Bellew and promoter Frank Warren are yet to release statements today, but expect more news on that front inside the next week.

 

Meanwhile, 26-year-old Smith had to dig deep in order to beat John Simpson in their rematch in April to claim the prestigious Lonsdale belt and become the first Merseysider to hold the title since Gary Thornhill over a decade ago.

His next opponent, Selby, from Barry, won the Celtic title last month with a sixth round stoppage of Scotsman James Ancliff, but steps up a number of levels against the former Rotunda club England star.

"I can't wait to get back in the ring as British and Commonwealth champion and defend my titles," said Smith today.

 

 

He added, "I've got so many ambitions in my career; one is to win the Lonsdale belt outright as I would love to own one of my own; I also want the European title to complete the set and I want the ultimate which is a world title.

"First I've got to deal with Selby who is a tough first defence and I was really impressed with his win over Ancliff, but he stepping up to a new league against me and he'll know it on the night."

Stephen's older brother Paul, the former British super-middleweight champion, continues his comeback on the card in an eight rounder against Bristol's Danny Butler; while the third of the four brothers, Liam, will feature in six-round contest as he aims to put a shaky patch behind him and get his aspirations back on track.

The hugely popular super-middleweight Rocky Fielding, the record-breaking Prizefighter winner, is back in action as well as light-middleweight talent Joe Selkirk, who stopped being Liverpool's best kept secret with his first round destruction of game Terry Carruthers in his last fight.

Former amateur star Paul Butler from Ellesmere Port, currently unbeaten in three fights, features in a four-round super-flyweight contest comleting a strong Scouse theme at the West Derby Road venue.

Tickets, priced at £30, £40 and £60 are available from the Liverpool Olympia Box Office on 0151 263 6633, online at www.liverpoololympia.com or www.frankwarren.tv