BACK in 2014 Jon-Lewis Dickinson became the first boxer from the north-east to claim a clean sweep of domestic titles having won the Prizefighter (2010), Northern Area (2011), English (2012), British (2012) and then making successful defences to own the Lord Lonsdale belt outright with a stoppage win against Neil Dawson in March 2014.
Following consecutive losses to Ovill McKenzie and Courtney Fry, victories over Stephen Simmons (for the WBC International Silver) and Jiri Svacina (in his last outing) put the 17-4 (5) cruiserweight right back in the mix and an upcoming eliminator for the British title, against Belfastโs undefeated Tommy McCarthy, 8-0 (5), is not seen as a backward step, far from it.
โThis is a great opportunity for me and is live on Sky Sports against an unbeaten fighter so I canโt knock something like that back,โ said Jon-Lewis of his impending clash with McCarthy.
โYou can wait for massive opportunities to come along all you want but if youโre happy with whatโs on offer then take it, you have to.โ
In McCarthy Dickinson knows that he will be a big scalp on the up-and-coming starโs record, to go alongside Fry who McCarthy beat in Belfast last year. Dickinson hopes that factor, with his having lost to Fry, works to his advantage.ย He even points to recent experiences of travelling to Latvia for a ten-day training camp in February with the current IBF Inter-continental champion, Mairis Briedis, alongside local sparring with big-hitters Warren Baister and Simon Vallily, as greater preparation than even the fights McCarthy has endured to date.
โI didnโt achieve much, personally, in beating Svacina; my spars were tougher than that fight,” he said.
โIt was more about getting back out and getting the rust off, after all, it had been a year since I defeated Simmons. Iโm also not one for fighting journeymen either, theyโre there for a reason and do a good purpose for a fighter.
โSparring the likes of Briedis is better than most youโd have early on; it keeps you switched on, alert, and if you make mistakes and get caught, you learn from it.
โIโm hoping that McCarthy will have in his mind that I lost to Fry and he beat him. Iโve learnt from that though so hopefully heโll have that on his mind for Fry was the biggest name heโs been in with.
โHeโs also a bit of an unknown but has a good amateur background which is usually carried over anyway so Iโm going into this in great nick and will hopefully put in a great performance and showing on the night.
โI couldnโt possibly have done anything more for this and thatโs down to people like Martin Nugent (Strength coach), Chris Clayton (nutritionist), and my coaches Ronnie (Rowe) and Gary (Barr). Everything has gone according to plan, Iโm in great shape and more than ready for it.โ
What about afterwards though, Dickinson has always claimed to be wanting of a challenge at European and world level, so is that still the case?
โWeโll look at whatโs available and if thereโs a good offer to face (Matty) Askin, then Iโll take it,” he continued.
โIโd also love a rematch with Ovill McKenzie somewhere down the line but Iโm unsure of his path at present.
โOtherwise itโs a look at Tony Bellew if he wins the world title [Bellew opposes Ilunga Makabu for the WBC World cruiserweight on May 29]. Iโve got the experience, the belief, and the backing of Fighting Chance, Fightstore Pro & Rev Gear, and WM Utilities, to be able to step up to that level and take that chance.โ
Jon-Lewis Dickinson opposes undefeated Tommy McCarthy at the SSE Hydro, Glasgow on Saturday night as part of the Ricky Burns vs. Michele Di Rocco world title undercard.