By Wayne Bartlett: The rematch for the British and Commonwealth cruiserweight titles between Rob Norton and David Dolan saw neither repeat nor revenge at the Altrincham leisure centre last night.
Instead - scorecards of 115-114 for Dolan, 116-113 for Norton, and a final even 114-114 scorecard - saw a draw awarded in what turned out to be only a shadow of the pairs exciting first meeting.
What could we have expected, or hoped for even after last February saw the pair first do battle in a predicted chess match which turned into a five knockdown shootout.
Dolan hitting the canvas on three of the five occasions - the thriller came as a surprise to all witnessing due to the cagey southpaw nature of Norton more often than not making for an excitement sacrificed counterpunching affair.
Don’t get me wrong, it is thanks to the effectiveness of this style that the big man from Stourbridge has amassed such an impressive now 32-4-2(19) record, held the WBU ’world’ title briefly in 1999, and now possesses the coveted British and Commonwealth straps.
But coupled with the lunging, winging game plan brought to the ring by the challenger David Dolan, what was unexpected first fight fireworks gave way to a truly horrible second instalment.
The first half of the bout going by amidst a plethora of holding due to Norton being on the back foot looking for the left hand counter as Dolan edged forward before swinging and invariably missing with both hands - if you were watching the bout at home you’d be forgiven for putting the kettle on or getting a drink from the fridge during a round, rather than waiting until the end of one.
The second half of the fight becoming more watchable due to the inevitable pace dropping, Dolan, now 13-2-1(5), was nothing if not consistent as he continued to stalk the now more stationary Norton which led to more close quarters action.
From the opening bell the Sunderland 30 year old had pressed his taller counterpart, but you were left wondering exactly what had happened to the technique and skills that had served him so well as an amateur.
A 2002 Commonwealth games super-heavyweight gold medallist and top amateur, where were the feints and moves to get himself inside the long arms of the champion, rather than the lumbering, winging figure on display here in Altrincham. (I could count on my hands (maybe even one) the amount of jabs thrown by Dolan).
Tension the cause maybe. More than maybe would be the chances a Norton younger than his 37 years would have taken advantage of the openings presented by his swinging, pressing target, instead of being bullied to the ropes on so many occasions where the former Prizefighter heavyweight finalist could bang away with less chance of missing.
Dolan - weighing 14 stone 4lbs to Norton’s 14 stone 2lbs 8oz - had turned professional as a heavyweight, before dropping to the cruiserweight division after losing the April 2008 Prizefighter final to Martin Rogan in what has been his other only loss.
By the end of the fight it was a case of whose work you preferred best. The aggressive come forward challenger who undoubtedly threw the greater number of punches, or the back foot counterpunching champion who undoubtedly connected with the greater accuracy.
It truly was one that could go either way, and to prove that fact, out of three judges you had a Norton win, a Dolan win, and a draw. Says it all really.
After the announcement of the scorecards both fighters proved as contrasting in their actions as they had been during the fight. Still double champ Norton was all smiles leaning over the top rope talking to the crowd, whilst a downbeat Dolan was in the aisle outside the ring just wanting to get back to his dressing room.
Other results
middleweight Paul Samuels w pts 8 Cello Renda
welterweight Mark Thompson w pts 10 Kevin McIntyre
bantamweight Craig Lyon w pts 8 Emiliano Salvini
super bantamweight Joe Murray w ko 4 George Mchedlishvili
super featherweight Stephen Foster w pts 6 Kakhaber Avetisian
cruiserweight Matty Askin w pts 6 Hastings Rasani
super bantamweight James Barker w pts 4 Anthony Hanna
junior welterweight Kieran Maher w pts 4 Johnny Greaves
January 15, 2010
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