Dolton Impressed By J-Rock, Aims for His Own Statement

By Jake Donovan

Domonique Dolton is still counting down the days, wishing it was fight night—which for the unbeaten super welterweight from Detroit will come September 29 in Las Vegas. He will face fellow unbeaten prospect Oscar Molina in a scheduled 10-round bout that will air live on Premier Boxing Champions’ “PBC Toe-to-Toe Tuesday” on Fox Sports 1.

Biding his time waiting on his own chance to shine, Dolton took in the most recent edition of Toe-to-Toe Tuesday. Interestingly, the main event featured a contender in his weight class, as ‘J-Rock’ Williams destroyed Luciano Cuello midway through the opening round.

Never one to let his own ego get in the way of other’s success, Dolton was already impressed with the unbeaten super welterweight from Philadelphia. The 90 seconds of fury that came of the main event only cemented what he believed of the rising contender.

“Julian Williams been stepping his game every fight,” acknowledged Dolton (17-0, 9KOs), who in his most recent performance forced Victor Fonseca to quit on his stool after five rounds in June. “He's progressing a lot. I've been seeing him step up his game.”

The bout was Williams’ second in the PBC mold and third overall in 2015. Afterward, he left an open challenge to everyone in the 154 lb. division, but specifically setting his sights on anyone with a title.

Dolton continues to inch towards contender status, but hopes his performance next Tuesday will raise his profile. He agreed to a showdown with Molina (13-0, 10KOs) generally because he’s willing to take on all comers, but also because it’s a fight against a highly regarded prospect that will properly gauge where the Detroit-bred product currently stands.

A win on Tuesday will put him on the map, at which point the public can speculate how soon before he’s on the title stage. Unlike most, Dolton understands that every next fight is the biggest of his career, and not just wait around for an opportunity to which he’s not necessarily yet entitled.

“I say four, maybe five more wins and I can start talking about fighting the champions,” Dolton admits. “I don't need to put myself out there like that. These other guys, they claim you ready, then they fight and disappoint, and all the sudden you just talking.”

Of course in a series like the one he will soon appear and the PBC circuit in general, there exists a goal to attain given the number of talented fighters in and around his division. Former super welterweight champion Austin Trout helped kick off the Toe-To-Toe series with a 6th round knockout of Joey Hernandez two weeks ago.

Later that week, Jermall Charlo won a title following an impressive three-round destruction of Cornelius ‘K9’ Bundrage. In recent times, John Jackson and Jorge Cota have emerged as 154 lb. fighters on the rise with separate wins on the inaugural installment of PBC on Bounce TV: The Next Round, and will face each other later this year. There’s also the division’s boogeyman, Erislandy Lara ready to take on all comers.

Simply put, there’s no shortage of talent in the super welterweight division, even without having to look beyond the PBC family.

“It’s great that boxing is everywhere thanks to PBC,” Dolton says of the movement. “I love watching all these fights, seeing what I’m up against and showing what I can do. That said, I don’t see it as a challenge, but an opportunity to show my talent. I’m gonna do what I gotta do, not put any additional pressure on myself just because I’m on TV. I’ll do my fight and let my performance speak for itself.”

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com.
Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
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