 |
|
|
Llanelli lightweight 'Dynamite' Dean Phillips will get the opportunity he’s been craving when he challenges home-town favourite Kevin 'The Bulldog' Bennett for his Commonwealth crown at the Hartlepool Borough Hall on Thursday 23 September (SKY Sports televise in the UK). In what will be a championship double-header, all-action British super-bantamweight champion Michael Hunter, also from Hartlepool, is expected to make the first defence of his title against Barking’s Marc Callaghan.
It promises to be an exciting night and Bennett is confident of emerging victorious. "Dean Phillips keeps coming forward and is very strong with a decent punch. He is quite methodical though. I think he only knows one way to fight and I aim to catch him with the cleaner shots. It will be interesting to see how he reacts to being on the back foot," the Commonwealth champion said. "I saw Phillips' win against Gary Hibbert (a fight which saw both men on the floor in round two before Phillips stopped Hibbert in the fifth) and the shot which put Dean down didn't seem that great. However, he got straight back up as if nothing had happened and took Hibbert out. I'm definitely not looking past him," he added.
Bennett boosted his stock with a gallant points loss to another Welshman in Jason Cook in an IBO title tilt in May. The Hartlepool-based fighter (Bennett is originally from Birmingham) made the favoured champion from Maesteg look ordinary for 12 rounds, and even forced Cook to take a count in the third, although the blow was clearly low, before dropping a 116-112 and 115-113 (twice) points decision. Having had time to reflect upon his performance, Bennett feels aggrieved that he wasn’t able to take advantage of his uncharacteristically lethargic opponent.
“I kept waiting for something to happen and expected him to do more. I made no secret of what I was going to do beforehand. Basically I was going to stay on the outside and look to counter punch Cook as he walked forward, but for some reason he never came in. I kept thinking that he was going to open up but he never did. By the time I realised this we had reached about the 9th round and I knew I had to step it up,” bemoaned Bennett.
It made for a frustrating spectacle for Bennett’s supporters and for those watching at home, who felt the ex-soldier was allowing his big moment to pass him by, especially when boxing in Cook’s Bridgend backyard. “What some don’t realise is that Cook has quick hands and he does possess power. He surprised me by boxing as a counter puncher because I thought he only knew how to fight one way. I figured he would try and blast me out so I decided to keep tight and get behind my shots. I definitely felt I hurt him early on though, so maybe that’s why he changed strategy,” suggested Bennett. “It wasn’t my plan to remain in survival mode and perhaps if the fight hadn’t have been in Wales I might have nicked the decision. However, if I’m honest I didn’t do enough to take the title away from Jason.”
Bennett will be looking to bounce back in front of his Hartlepool supporters and is aiming to erase the memories of when he last fought at the Borough Hall in June 2001. That night 'The Bulldog' slipped to his first professional defeat when he was halted in six rounds by Liverpool’s then unbeaten Gary Ryder. He will have his hands full against a determined Dean Phillips in his first defence though. On the undercard of Cook vs Bennett, the Welsh warrior recorded his biggest victory since returning to the ring following a five-and-a-half year layoff with an impressive eight round points decision (78-75) over former Commonwealth champion Michael Muya. Six months previously, Bennett had relieved Muya of his title but had to survive a torrid final three rounds before escaping with a 116-113 verdict.
The winner could earn a crack at the British lightweight title and Bennett will be watching closely when champion Graham Earl defends his crown against Steve Murray in a rematch next Friday. “I go for Earl to win because I think he’s got his number,” admitted Bennett when pressed. “Murray is the heavier puncher but he needs to be able to set his feet whereas Earl can let his shots go from all angles. I think he’ll win again but it won’t be as easy as last time (Earl blitzed Murray in two rounds when the pair met for the Southern Area title in February 2003).”
Supporting Bennett will be stablemate Michael Hunter, 19-0-1 (6), who is set to make the first defence of his British super-bantamweight title against Marc Callaghan. It’s an overdue chance for the Hartlepool slugger to impress in front of the television cameras – his 7th round stoppage over Mark Payne to capture the vacant title at the Borough Hall back in April wasn’t screened. Hunter will be gunning to avenge the solitary blemish on his 20-fight ledger. In March 2002, Callaghan held Hunter to a six-round draw in Crawley. The champion, who is targeting a showdown with current European champion Esham Pickering, has reeled off nine wins on the bounce since then and will start a heavy pre-fight favourite.
|
|
|
|
© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2004
|
By Ben Carey (July 20, 2004) 
