Somerset’s Dean Dodge takes aim at Southern Area title at York Hall

SUPER-FEATHERWEIGHT Dean Dodge is hoping lessons learned from defeat will inspire him to
victory when he bids to claim the Southern Area title on Friday.

This will be a second attempt at the strap for Yeovil fighter, who lost out on points to Danny Carr in Bolton last February.

But Dodge, now rejuvenated, says he is ready to show people what he can do when he heads to York
Hall on Friday night on Neilson Boxing’s Fight Town show in conjunction with Warren Boxing
Management which will be shown live on BoxNation.

“For my last fight I had so many people around me saying that I was going to knock Danny out and I
believe that I went in the ring a little bit too confident,” he said.

“When I got in the ring with Danny, he just boxed my head off and I didn’t perform anywhere near
the level that I know I can.

“The fight was a learning curve and it taught me a lot.”

Preparing for this fight has been no easy feat for the Somerset fighter, who has a record of 9-1, as he has seen two opponents pull out with injury before agreeing to face Watford’s Reece Bellotti.

Originally, he was due to Dennis Wahome and then Frome’s Ryan Wheeler before both bouts were
curtailed with injuring.

Looking ahead to his fight with Bellotti, Dodge believes the London-based fighter is the hardest
opponent out of the trio.

“I said yes to all of the fighters they mentioned to me, Reece is a similar style to me and he’s coming up from the weight class below,”

“He’s won Commonwealth titles, he’s boxed on Sky Sports but I want to win this fight because I
know it would shoot my career up.

“Out of the three opponents, Reece is the hardest fight on paper – he’s accomplished more than the
other two combined.

“Me taking this fight is a big ask but I want to be in tough fights.”

Dodge joins Ashley Sexton on the card at London’s York Hall, who headlines the show by taking on
Sabelo Ngebinyana for the IBF International title.