By Jake Donovan
In the type of match that is emblematic of the spirit of Shobox, Mike Dallas Jr. stepped up in competition and also in performance to score a unanimous decision over Lanard Lane in a battle of undefeated prospects.
All three judges scored the bout 78-74 in favor of Dallas in the opening bout of the Showtime-televised tripleheader, aired live from the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven, Mississippi.
Both fighters came out aggressive in the early going. Dallas flew off of his stool at the opening bell, working behind a heavy jab that became the weapon of choice for the opening round. Lane eventually worked his way inside, scoring with looping right hands. The Philly prospect was a bit too aggressive in his attack, drawing a warning from referee Randy Phillips for hitting Dallas behind the head towards rounds end.
Dallas caught on to Lane’s strategy – one-two, loading up on the two – and took advantage to win the second round almost solely on defense. Every time Lane loaded up on his combo, Dallas would slide back to cause his opponent to fall way short with his jab.
What didn’t follow behind it in the second round was counterpunching to catch Lane off-balance, though Dallas would add that in the third round, landing counter rights. Lane made an adjustment of his own, stepping in with the jab rather than throwing it from the outside. Dallas responded by tying up Lane whenever he attempted to initiate the action, which resulted in more pauses than was desired by the capacity crowd on hand.
The instructions out of Lane’s corner prior to the fourth called for more purposeful jabs. Dallas was prepared for the strategy, sliding back just far enough to cause the punch to fall short and come back with jabs and straight rights. Lane grew increasingly frustrated, charging in head-first and mauling Dallas along the ropes.
With the fight at the halfway point, Lane was informed by his corner that he was in considerable danger of losing the fight. The advice didn’t quite take, as Lane failed to find a way to discourage his opponent. Conversely, Dallas was coming up with new ways to take control, including a chopping right hand on the inside to briefly stun Lane.
While Lane’s corner grew more adamant in their demands for their fighter to turn around the bout, no real advice was given other than to “don’t stop punching.”
Lane didn’t exactly clean out the kitchen, though closed the round strong, and parlayed the momentum into success early in the seventh round. Dallas, who had previously never fought beyond the sixth round, was caught off guard – figuratively and literally, including a left hook to the dome while the Bakersfield, CA native was in a corner requesting housekeeping for a slick spot on the canvas. Lane continued to pour on the offense, while Dallas could offer little more than clinching in return.
With the fight on the line, Lane turned up the aggression in the final round, while Dallas never quite rediscovered his groove until the closing seconds of the bout. Lane controlled the action for much of the round, but Dallas closed strong while the two stood toe-to-toe on the inside at center ring until the final bell.
The crowd wasn’t too fond of the decision in the end, but there was no question that all three judges got it right. With the win, Dallas heads back to Bakersfield, California with a record of 15-0-1 (5KO), while Lane suffers his first loss as a pro, falling to 12-1 (7KO).
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.
