By his own admission, Bobby Dalton knows he’s still a few wins away from being able to rely upon boxing as his sole source of income.
Opportunities like the one that awaits the unbeaten boxer this weekend can help speed up that process.
Dalton, 11-0 (2 KOs), is set to defend his English 147lbs title against fellow unbeaten welterweight Joel Kodua, 9-0 (2 KOs). Their bout serves in supporting capacity to the Frazer Clarke-Jeamie “TKV” Tshikeva heavyweight clash atop BOXXER’s BBC launch show this Saturday at Vaillant Live in Derby, UK.
“Even more people are going to see me. This feels like it’s the start of my career,” Dalton told BoxingScene. “There will be a lot more attention on my fight than any other.
“I’ve boxed on big shows but nothing as big as being on BBC. There will be a lot of eyes on this, and I’m looking forward to making many new fans after Saturday.”
It’s an important step in the blue-collar career of Dalton, a native of Redcar, UK, who works full time as an assistant structures and asset engineer while pursuing his degree in civil engineering.
A packed schedule goes into his balancing a full-time job and his boxing career. It’s a necessary sacrifice, as his list of goals gets cleared one line at a time.
“I get up, I train before work and then go to work,” noted Dalton, who is trained by his father, Bobby Dalton Snr. “Literally, from work I go straight to the gym. Then I go home to rest and sleep. Then it’s the same thing when I wake up the next day. It’s a lot of hard work, but I know it’s going to pay off one day.
“I’ve got an apprenticeship in civil engineering. I’m an assistant engineer and am going to university to get my degree. It’s hard work, but I’ve learned long ago not to put all my eggs in one basket. My ultimate goal is for boxing to be my full-time job. I believe I’m just a few fights away, and a show like this helps accelerate the pace.”
The first significant career boost came on this exact weekend one year ago.
Just 31 months and eight fights into his pro career, Dalton challenged unbeaten Jeff Saunders – 17-0 at the time – for Britain’s Northern Area welterweight title. It was his first major test, and Dalton prevailed via 10-round decision to earn his first regional belt.
A mere seven months later, Dalton was presented with a short-notice opportunity to take on the more experienced and well-regarded Ben Vaughan. Their July 26 clash came with the English title at stake, which Dalton claimed via hard-fought majority decision.
More so than the win, Dalton enjoyed his first taste of expanded media coverage. The introduction to the spotlight came courtesy of his alignment with CM Sports Agency.
“Before the Ben Vaughan fight, Colin got in touch with me to work together,” Dalton said. “He lined up all these interviews and got a lot of attention paid to my career. I never had that opportunity before then.
“Now I’m fighting on BBC.”
The current progression in Dalton’s young career comes at a time when the welterweight division is packed with name value but lacks a definitive leader.
Jaron “Boots” Ennis abdicated his lineal throne and unified titles to campaign at 154lbs. Devin Haney recently dethroned previously unbeaten WBO titlist Brian Norman Jnr, the de facto No. 1 welterweight but by no means the universal choice.
Mario Barrios, Rolando Romero and Lewis Crocker hold the WBC, WBA and IBF titles, respectively. Behind them are the division’s more notable figures in Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn, the latter who is committed to returning to the division after his two-fight set with Chris Eubank Jnr.
As it relates to Brits such as Dalton, Belfast’s Crocker and Ilford’s Benn represent the most marketable options without the need to travel the globe. For now, such boxers represent the level that Dalton one day aspires to reach.
“I’m still a few fights away from that level – I’m a realist,” admitted Dalton. “But you still have to pay attention and use that as your motivation to get where you want to in your career. I believe in myself. I wouldn’t be fighting while working a full-time job if I didn’t believe.
“I’m quite calculated in how I approach things. It’s still fight-by-fight for me. I don’t want to say, ‘I’m going to do this, do that.’ But one day, I really believe I’ll be at that level.”
A win on Saturday will mark his third against relevant competition in a span of exactly 52 weeks, this on by far his biggest stage to date.
By no means does Dalton expect to land any of the abovementioned titlists in his next fight. Rather, he references another significant welterweight fight taking place just one week later.
“Conah Walker is the current British champion; he fights Pat McCormack next,” Dalton stated, referencing the all-British clash set to take place December 6 on Matchroom’s annual show in Monte Carlo, Monaco. “We’ll see how that goes, but I really see myself fighting for that title within my next couple of fights.
“By this time next year, I really fancy myself as the British welterweight champion.”
