Dylan Clegg kick-starts his pro career with a bang
Worksop’s newest boxing hero Dylan Clegg (1-0) made a statement in his professional boxing debut on June 30 at the North Notts Arena.
Trained by Michael White at the Fighting Fit Gym, the 20-year-old finished his Bulgarian opponent Tsvetozar Iliev (6-24-1) in the fourth and final round of his pro bow with just 49 seconds left in the fight.
The youngster was working his jab until an overhand right from Iliev landed, followed by a left hook that was blocked but sparked a retaliation in Clegg who unleashed a one-two followed by an uppercut and a flurry of unanswered shots, backing up the Bulgarian who momentarily had to reach for the ropes with his right hand to steady himself. Clegg continued his assult and as the European turned to his right, he was open for Clegg to land a long right hand flush on the cheek, flooring Iliev instantly. He rose to his feet but was soon decked again by two heavy right hands from the home fighter.
The super-middleweight said of his performance, “I kept on the jab, figured him out, boxed comfortably for all of the rounds, so I picked the pace up in the last round and stopped him. I wasn’t looking for a stoppage, but everything just flowed nicely on the night. I’ve been working on the jab in training, I kept throwing it and slowed everything down. It went well, I want to keep working on the jab and work on everything coming off that.”
The popular 168-pounder was roared on by a 200-strong crowd of supporters, “I’m quite well known around my local area and everyone that said they would come all came out to watch. The support was the best in the arena on the night and a lot of people were on holiday, so I could even get a bigger crowd watching next time.”
The former schoolboys finalist experienced 25 fights in the amateurs but turned pro when he became disenchanted with the unpaid code, “I got to the schoolboys finals four times and the championship finals once. James Richardson, a Team GB boxer, robbed me in finals and I found out it was live on TV afterwards and I was very upset about that because I should have won. I outboxed him in the first round, gave him a standing eight-count in second, and ended up losing every round on the judges’ scorecards somehow! After that, I was sick of getting poor decisions and people pulling out of fights all the time, so I turned over.”
Managed by Scott Calow, Clegg has plans to stay active, eyeing September for his next fight, “I just want to stay active. The next home show is around November, but I wouldn’t mind getting out earlier in September. I’ll be seeing my coach Michael White and Scott Calow and working out the next move. By next year, I want to be 5-0 and fighting for titles.”
Doncaster’s Kyle Fox (6-0) headlined the seven-fight card, titled ‘Hope & Glory’ in association with Scott Calow Boxing, and landed the British Challenge belt with a landslide points win over Islington’s Jordan Grannum (3-27) in what was the first ever title fight staged at the North Notts Arena.
The 24-year-old won every round against the 25-year-old Londoner to lift his first pro title in his sixth straight victory, and plans to move on to Central Area title honours next, which he hopes will take place at the Doncaster Dome.
The Central Area welterweight title was last held by Liverpudlian Adam Ismail (10-2) but is currently vacant.
Heavyweight Mark Bennett (2-0), 31-years-old from Edlington, made a big statement as he doubled his win tally with a blistering second-round stoppage of Welshman Dorian Darch (12-7-1).
Scunthorpe’s ‘Kid Nytro’ Dec Spelman (12-1), 26, returned to the ring for the first time since his ill-fated fight with Scott Westgarth in February, who collapsed in the dressing room and later died in hospital.
Spelman looked sharp and fit as he bounced back from his sole career loss with a 40-35 points win over Czech light-heavyweight champion Jindrich Velecky (19-54).
Super-lightweight prospect Sonny Price, 21-years-old from Swallownest, moved up to 4-0 with a 40-36 points win against 297-fight veteran Kristian Laight (12-276-9).
Langold’s Luke Middleton kicked off his pro career with a debut win against Hyde’s Dale Arrowsmith (1-17-1).
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