By Jake Donovan
While lacking the multiple knockdowns from their first fight nearly a year ago, the cruiserweight rematch between David Dolan and Rob Norton proved to be a fitting entry for the 2010 season premiere of Sky Sports Fight Night.
The only thing that didn’t come of the night was clarity, as the familiar foes fought to a 12-round stalemate in the main event at the Leisure Centre in Altrincham, Cheshire, England.
Their first fight featured both fighters frequently hitting the canvas, with Norton recovering from three knockdowns to score two of his own en route to a unanimous decision. The ability to be decked by the other didn’t deter either from immediately taking the fight to one another from the opening bell. Dolan was swinging for the fences, but Norton proved to be a slippery target, The southpaw dodged most of the incoming, and would come back behind his jab to set up his power shots, most notably his left uppercut from the outside.
Norton took advantage of Dolan’s overly aggressive approach in the second, keeping his distance and catching his cruiserweight rival with a long left hand. Dolan grew wise to the approach, and closed the gap in the third. Norton spent much of the round on the defensive. Dolan missed with most of his power shots, but prevented Norton from returning fire, a vast improvement from the previous two rounds.
Chants of “Norton!” began to fill the arena in the fourth, a round that ended with Norton briefly regaining momentum, only to draw a warning for a rabbit punch. Referee Howard Foster was forced to remind Norton of the rules twice more in the fifth, each time warned for holding and hitting.
Norton obliged, merely resorting to holding, far too often in the round, while Dolan gained some semblance of discipline, now sitting down on his punches. The tactic resulted in the action dramatically slowing down, but threatening to sway the fight back in his favor.
Fatigue appeared to set in for both fighters in the sixth, as crisp punching suddenly became a rumor. Dolan was getting the better of the exchanges, prompting Norton to resort to desperate measures. The third man would have none of it, issuing a final warning for holding and hitting. Though by far his worst round of the fight, Norton finished strong, catching Dolan with a straight left hand coming in, just before the bell.
The exchange at the end of the sixth boosted Norton’s spirits, coming out strong to begin the seventh while Dolan struggled to catch his second wind. Norton mocked and posed while waiting for Dolan to open up and make a mistake on which to capitalize. Dolan unwillingly obliged, wading in with arm punches, leaving himself open for counters up the middle.
Action picked up considerably in the eighth and ninth, both of which featured frequent toe-to-exchanges along the ropes. The inside fight greater benefited Dolan, denying Norton the opportunity to get any leverage on his punches.
By round ten, it was apparent that Norton went into his reserves far too early. The southpaw was running on fumes down the stretch, which Dolan immediately sensed as he went for broke. Norton spent nearly the entire round on the ropes, fending off his resurging foe while offering very little in return.
Sensing their guy was done, Norton’s corner tried its hardest to remain positive heading into the championship rounds. “It’s close!” was uttered in between rounds, trying to convince Norton to leave it all in the ring if he wanted to pull off a come-from-behind repeat win.
Norton danced as hard as he could in a razor-close 11th round and went for broke in the final minute of the 12th and final round. Defense and strategy was completely abandoned by both fighters, throwing nothing but power punches until the final bell.
The final outcome appeared in doubt, which made the three-way split all the more fitting in the end. Dolan won on one card by score of 115-114, while Norton received a 116-113 nod on another. The third judge went down the middle, scoring it 114-114 for a split decision draw.
Norton retains his regional title with the verdict, as his record moves to 32-4-2 (19KO); Dolan leaves the ring at 13-2-1 (5KO).
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.