1:55PM, Sat Feb 16, 2013

Jon-Lewis Dickinson Beats Dave Dolan To Retain British Title At 'Supremacy'

By John Hannen Location: Rainton Meadows

Picture: Amanda Hannen Photography

Birtley’s Jon-Lewis Dickinson made a first successful defence of his British cruiserweight title on Friday night, winning the main event at Frank Maloney's 'Supremacy' event by comprehensively outpointing Sunderland’s Dave Dolan at the Rainton Meadows Arena.

Sky Bet

£10 Free Bet
- Sky Bet are offering all new customers a £10 Free Bet Claim your free bet now

In a fight that went the full 12 rounds, Dolan never stopped coming forward and couldn’t have given anymore, but ultimately the cleaner, more accurate work came from the champion.

The pattern for the contest was set from the opening bell, with Dolan bustling away and doing his best work up close, clubbing away to head and body.

Dickinson, though, constantly replied with the crisper punches, and was often able to time the challenger as he came forward with straight shots, particularly the jab and back hand.

In the eighth, Dolan was on unsteady legs after being tagged by a left hook. Jon-Lewis, seeing his man in trouble, piled on the pressure but couldn’t find a finishing shot and Dolan bravely fought his way back into the round.

Both went for it in the last session, with Dolan knowing that he needed a knock out to win, but Dickinson continued to edge the action.

At the final bell the mutual respect was obvious. The three judges went unanimously for 26-year-old Dickinson (118-111, 118-111, 117-112), who will now look to make another two defences to win the Lonsdale Belt outright.

Dolan, 33, is likely to retire after his third unsuccessful attempt at domestic honours.

In the pick of a packed undercard, Hartlepool super-featherweight Peter Cope got the better of South Shields’ gutsy David ‘Dynamite’ Lake over four entertaining rounds.

Often toe to toe, Lake gave it everything but Cope's scoring straight punches were the difference as he bagged a 40-37 scorecard.

In a scheduled four-rounder, Fishburn’s Gary Fox finished off Tottenham’s Mark McKray in the first. An early left hook scrambled the Londoner’s senses, sending him over for a count of eight, before Fox landed another right hand that prompted the referee’s intervention with just 83 seconds gone.

South Shields bantamweight Anthony ‘Babyface’ Nelson won all six rounds as he impressed against Middlesbrough’s Francis Croes. Nelson’s shot-picking was sublime as he fired off three and four punch combinations that had the game Francis in his shell, covering up, and swinging hopefully.

Also on the card, Travis Dickinson, brother of Jon-Lewis, outpointed Scunthorpe entertainer Jody Meikle over four rounds; Easington’s Paul Archer was given a decent test in a six-round victory over Brighton’s Kevin McCauley; Birtley’s Robert Dixon had too much for Scots-based Pole Marek Laskowski over six sessions; Scottish heavyweight Gary ‘The Highlander’ Cornish picked up a fourth round KO over Croatian Jakov Gospic; Scarborough cruiserweight Danny Price flattened Hungary’s Tamas Bajzath in a round, and Spennymoor debutant Ben Jackson had too much ambition for journeyman Sid Razak in a six-rounder.