Tony Dodson on The Stubbs Win, Expects a Big 2012
By Terence Dooley
Tony Dodson notched up his fourth win of 2011 with a victory over Darren Stubbs earlier this month and is set to open his 2012 ledger with an IBO International light-heavyweight title bout. ‘The Warrior’ joins Derry Matthews on a Vaughan Boxing Promotions bill at Liverpool’s Olympia on January 28th as he seeks to cap his fine run of form with a successful maiden defence of the belt he won by beating Darren Stubbs via a seventh round TKO.
Stubbs was coming off a loss to Bob Ajisafe, is 40-years-old and has always been easy to hit yet Dodson’s dominant performance drew plaudits from those in attendance. The fighter himself feels that he is producing the best form of his 35-fight career, 28-6-1 (14).
“You know what, my last few performances have been impressive,” mused Dodson during our recent conversation. “I’ve felt really good. I think I’ve finally hit an age (31) where I can relax, let it flow and not force things or be overly aggressive.
“I used to just want a fight, it worked against me. Now I’ve got a mature head on my shoulders and am not driven by pure aggression – I break people down using my ability. I had that skill when I was younger, it won me a lot of amateur medals and I’ve gone back to it.”
Unbeaten since dropping a pair of close ones to Tony Quigley and Paul Smith for the British 168lb belt, Dodson was cruelly denied a Prizefighter: The Light-Heavyweights final berth in January’s tournament after suffering cuts in his contests with Michael Banbula and Menay Edwards, a gash to the right eye picked up in the Edwards fight resulted in him losing out on the showcase event. Netting the vacant IBO strap against Stubbs went a long way towards easing his Prizefighter disappointment, although Tony had to pay a price.
“My hands were killing me, seriously,” his abiding memory of the Stubbs meeting. “I’ve never had a problem with my hands, but I felt it after hitting his hard head. I thought I had him out of there a few times. I hit him ten seconds before the stoppage with a right hand that was so hard I honestly don’t know how he took it.
“Stubbs is unbelievable. I wanted to stop him earlier but he wasn’t going over even with the stuff I hit him with. He took my best shots and wasn’t going anywhere so I took a breather in the fifth and then stepped up. It shows a change in my mentality.
“Darren was walking onto everything. I remember hitting him with a jab and my knuckles sank into his head; the guy’s got a great chin. I just hope he knows when to walk away with his health intact because it is not healthy to take shots like that. Darren should get a win under him then retire, he’s a tough man.”
He added: “I know I’m not in the position to tell anyone to retire but I worry for his health as he’s a nice fella who has taken some serious shots in his last few fights. How much can one guy take?”
Liverpool is fast becoming one of the UK’s most popular fight towns with bills ranging from small to huge and talent on tap. From champions to amateur prospects, the city is in rude health going into the 2012.
“Boxing in Liverpool couldn’t be any better,” he stated. “Thomas Stalker’s representing us in the Olympics and there’s a massive boxing buzz in the city. A few amateurs are coming through, the pros are up there with the best in their divisions and we’re all doing well.”
It has not always been sweetness and light, Dodson engaged in a war of words with city rival Paul Smith ahead of their grueling March 2010 showdown. Once the dust settled on that one the two shook on it and are now the elder spokesmen of the Liverpool boxing scene, mutual animosity giving way to appreciation and a keen sense of community.
“You know what, we’re all born and bred here, we’ve all been mates at one time and other and some of us have had that bit of banter,” Dodson’s thoughts on the positive feeling in his home city.
“Look at me and Paul. I hated him last time me and you spoke on the phone but we were friends before, we’re friends now and just had to get on with our jobs in the ring. We left it all behind us and are mates in the real world.”
Now firmly established at 175lbs, the fighter believes that he this Indian summer will continue as long as his ambition continues to burn and the Mayan prophecy of a cataclysmic E.L.E in 2012 – a subject which Tony often Tweets about – does not come to fruition. “Without a doubt,” his answer to my question of whether there is still a long way to go in his pro journey.
“I’m better now than ever, I usually hate it when fighters come out with shit like that but I feel it. I am surprised at how much better I’m getting with age. You know when to call it a day because a morning will come when you don’t want to do your runs anymore. I still love doing them and love being in the gym. There are a few more years left for ‘The Warrior’.”
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