LAST week, the undercard for Frazer Clarke vs Jeamie Tshikeva was revealed, with four well-matched bouts backing up the British heavyweight title headliner. One of those contests involves English welterweight champion, Bobby Dalton, who is promising an exciting performance that steals the show.
Dalton, 11-0 (2 KOs), has been fighting on the small hall shows throughout the early days of his professional career, but his efforts over the last 12 months have seen the 26-year-old make an impression on the domestic welterweight scene.
The Redcar native first outpointed 17-fight unbeaten contender Jeff Saunders to claim the Northern Area title last November, before a second career stoppage triumph against journeyman Justin Menzie.
Finally, Dalton travelled to Stoke-on-Trent to score an upset victory over Ben Vaughan and get his hands on the English welterweight title, subsequently putting a target on his back.
Speaking with Boxing News, Dalton, who works full-time and continues to study at university, hoped that a continuation of his form could lead to the opportunity to take up boxing as his sole career.
“I’m still working as an assistant structures and asset engineer and I’m currently also at university. It’s something that I’m proud of, I’ve always known not to put all my eggs into one basket with boxing, because it can be a harsh, unforgiving sport.
“The dream is that one day I can solely do boxing as a career, but I still work and train very hard daily and I believe I’m only a few fights away from it.”
Next up is Dalton’s biggest opportunity and test to date, as he fights on Boxxer’s first BBC-broadcasted card against undefeated Southern Area champion Joel Kodua, 9-0 (2 KOs), in a first defence of the English crown.
A victory on such a platform, Dalton believes, could be the springboard for a life-changing promotional deal.
“It means everything. I’ve waited a long time for an opportunity to fight on a stage like this, I cannot wait to show everyone what I can do. However, I believe these are the platforms I deserve to be on, and I’m going to show why on the night.”
“The only thing missing at the minute is a big promotion backing me. Get another good win against Kodua and then hopefully with that, one of the big promotions might come in and sign me. That’s the aim.”
However, despite being the champion, Dalton is expected to enter the contest as an underdog once again against ‘JFK’, but he believes that the increased level of opposition will bring out the best of him.
“It’s nothing new to me. I was brought in against a 17-0 fighter [Saunders] for the Northern Area [title] and then same again against Ben Vaughan going down to his area to box for the English.
“People have always bet against me, and I keep showing up and proving them wrong and I will be doing the same when I face Kodua.
“I have seen his last few fights. He’s a good fighter but I believe that the better the opponent, the better I perform. I honestly believe I can beat anyone on my day, and I can’t wait to show it on the big stage.”
Backed by his faithful North Yorkshire following, Dalton plans to properly announce himself to British boxing fans with an eye-catching win, promising a “show-stealing performance” that sees him retain his belt.
“The support has been incredible. The people of Redcar always back their own, and they’ve really got behind me throughout my career.
“After my last fight, everywhere I went people were stopping me to say they’d watched it – it was unbelievable. I’ve no doubt the support will be just as strong this time around.
“You can always expect entertainment from me, and I’m coming to put on another show-stealing performance, with the belt coming back to Redcar with me.”
