FIGHTNEWZ.NET: How do you look at the Rogan loss - a setback rather than a disaster?
DOLAN: The Rogan defeat definitely isn’t a disaster.
I think anyone who knows boxing could see who was the best in that tournament. It’s just a little
setback, I’ll get where I’m going eventually, I know I will.
It’s just a minor inconvenience really. I would have liked to have got the rematch straight away and
put things right there but I move on. The fight wasn’t available so I will just go to my next fight and I will get to
a title very soon.
FIGHTNEWZ.NET: What was your overall impression of the tournament?
DOLAN: It was a great experience, just the big disappointment for me was that I didn’t win it.
I was the best in the competition by far from my point of view, it was just a bit of bad luck why I didn’t
win really.
Obviously it was the first fight in my opinion that lost me the competition.
It was that left hook I got caught with from Darren Morgan.
I don’t remember the last round too well, I knew I was a bit concussed.
Obviously by the time the semi came round I was feeling a bit better.
But as soon as I went into the Paul Butlin fight he hit me round the back of the head a couple of times
and I knew I wasn’t right.
I was getting buzzed a bit, which wouldn’t normally happen.
That was one of the reasons I boxed the way that I did in that fight because I knew I was much more sort
of nimble and I had speed on him.
I just totally outboxed him and it worked out well really because he didn’t land a shot on me.
Then obviously in the final with Rogan he shot out of the blocks and he did manage to catch me flush.
He was sort of holding me and hitting me in the back of the head again so I was getting a little bit dazed
off that.
He managed to catch me on the temple and that was a genuine knockdown even though I wasn’t hurt, it
was just because I was still a little bit dazed from the first fight.
I got up and I think from there I just took over and I was winning the fight easy - the rest of the first
round and the second - and then the last round he came shooting out again.
To be honest with you it wasn’t even a knockdown there, I wasn’t hurt at all.
I just lost my balance a bit and he was throwing a million shots so the referee gave another count when
it wasn’t a punch that put me down.
I was sort of screwed then because of the three rounds and two knockdowns against me.
I pretty much won the third round easy as well. It’s just really
disappointing I lost a fight which
was because of the two knockdowns and when one of them I don’t think should have been a knockdown.
It was disappointing but it was just one of those things.
FIGHTNEWZ.NET: How demanding is it to fight in something like that?
DOLAN: I was the last one to fight out of the four, then there was one semi, then there was me, then there
was me in the final.
So I suppose I had the worst draw but to be honest with you I trained so hard and I was so fit it didn’t
even affect me at all.
I wouldn’t say it worked against me any way at all.
No excuses, definitely not, I was fit enough, I could have went on and done five, six rounds in that last
round, I wasn’t even tired.
You saw Rogan, he was holding on for dear life I thought. I thought one more round and I could have got
him, but as I say it’s one of those things, it just didn’t go for me that day really.
FIGHTNEWZ.NET: It helped to put you on the map though.
DOLAN: It was a good experience and it must have been well received because the amount of people I’ve
had coming up to me, not just in Sunderland I mean all over the country really.
When I’ve been away people have recognised me and stuff, so it must have been well viewed and well
watched.
People usually forget that I think I was winning most of the fight and just remember the result really.
That’s the only disappointment for me.
FIGHTNEWZ.NET: You obviously fancy a rematch with Rogan?
DOLAN: I would box him again any time. I know for a fact I’m far superior to him.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not discounting him, he is as game as they come and as tough as they
come.
But I think compared with me he is limited in terms of technique and everything really.
I would box him over any distance, I’d box him over three rounds again.
If I went in fresh I know he wouldn’t be able to beat me over three rounds because he wouldn’t
be able to knock me down.
It’s a shame, I was hoping to try and get a rematch but it doesn’t seem to be happening at the
minute.
He is a nice guy and we get on on pretty well, so opefully I might get a chance to avenge it some time in
the future.
FIGHTNEWZ.NET: Rogan is obviously fighting Audley Harrison next on July 19, who wins that one?
DOLAN: It’s a tough one to call. Harrison has obviously got the technical ability and the experience
to beat Rogan but I think Audley Harrison’s stamina has always been an issue.
If Rogan can get him into the later rounds and can be as fit as he can be and fresh, you’ve got to
say he has got a chance.
FIGHTNEWZ.NET: You mentioned getting to a title soon, when do you think you will be ready to challenge
for a Lonsdale belt?
DOLAN: Neil (Fannan, trainer) will know when I’m ready but I don’t see a title shot too far
off.
It’s just making sure I’m conditioned enough to do the 12 rounds which I think I am, I’m
fit enough.
It’s just maybe getting the experience of an eight rounder and even a 10 if I can, just so you’ve
got that confidence you can do the distance.
I think that’s the only thing stopping me. I don’t think there is going to be many fitter than
me, that doesn’t bother me, it’s just having the confidence to know that you can do the distance.
There is a few good fights out there at heavyweight now and I think Neil might have an eye on the cruiserweights
as well for me, I’m not too sure what’s happening at the minute.
FIGHTNEWZ.NET: Everybody seems to have an opinion on you dropping down to cruiser from heavyweight. What
are your own thoughts on that?
DOLAN: Honestly, it doesn’t bother me, I will fight at heavyweight or cruiser.
I’ve always found boxing the bigger guys a little bit easier really.
They are a bit more slow and you can sometimes usually have the edge in fitness on them.
Obviously they tend to hit a little bit harder and be stronger and things like that.
But it really doesn’t bother me. Wherever the opportunity is there to get the title fights I will
go with it.
FIGHTNEWZ.NET: You’ve boxed all over the world against some top notch opponents. Who was the best
man you’ve faced?
DOLAN: I have to say the best lad I’ve fought is a Belarussian guy called Viktar Zuyev.
When I boxed him in 2003 in the World Championships he was very good, he was light on his feet and a southpaw
and hit hard. He just seemed to be a good all rounder. I just remember thinking: ‘This guy is the real deal’.
I sparred with him not too long after just before the next World
Championships and I did a lot better
with him.
I would have to say when I was in the ring I did think he was the best I’d faced.
Don’t get me wrong, it was still a very hard spar a couple of years later, but he didn’t seem
to be as dominant as he was in 2003 when I boxed him.
FIGHTNEWZ.NET: How do you think David Haye will get on at heavyweight? He was on
the England amateur scene at the same time as you.
DOLAN: When I first got on the England team David Haye was there. We were both competing for the same
spot in 2001 when he got his silver medal in the worlds.
I was hoping to go at the time but I went in the ABAs, David Haye didn’t enter and I went on to win
them and think it was the right shout.
I was just sort of getting into the England team then and he had been there for years and had a lot of experience.
It was probably the right decision and obviously he won a silver medal.
We used to spar a lot and he did have a tremendous shot.
When I first started sparring with him he caught me out a few times.
He hits you with hard shots. I think it’s his speed more than anything where he gets his power from,
he is just so fast.
But when I used to spar with him he was coming from light heavy to heavyweight, from 81 to 91 kilos.
We had some good spars but after the first few times you do sort of figure him out a little bit so you were
always a bit more wary after that and he didn’t seem to catch me with the same shots after the first couple of times.
But I don’t see why he can’t be a force in the heavyweight division.
In the amateurs the only thing I thought was his weakness really was his stamina. Apart from that his technical
ability was excellent and his punching power.
And obviously as a heavyweight that’s going to be increased two-fold because it’s his speed
where he gets his power from.
He is going to catch a lot of heavyweights out.
FIGHNEWZ.NET: The Cuban Odlanier Solis was also around at the same time as you in the amateurs and is
now rising up the pro ranks. What do you think of his chances of winning a
heavyweight title?
DOLAN: I never actually boxed Solis but he was very good at heavyweight.
He moved up to super heavyweight and won the World Championships and everything but he seemed to be carrying
a lot of flab.
But obviously he is still winning and he has still got the ability.
I don’t see why he can’t go all the way, he was very accomplished in the amateurs so I don’t
see why he can’t go all the way as a pro.
FIGHTNEWZ.NET: Back to you finally, David. How did you actually get into boxing and how long do you plan
to box for?
DOLAN: I got into it through my mam’s side of the family, my uncles were boxers.
My uncle was my first trainer really when I started as a junior.
I went on to have about 83 or 87 amateur fights and I’m not 100% sure about the wins, around 60.
I had more internationals than I did anything else. I had about 54 internationals.
I will keep going and as long as I’m happy doing it and I think I’m progressing I will continue.
Maybe if I think I’ve gone over the hill or there are no fights out there for me or whatever I will
call it a day.
But at the minute I think I’m improving all the time and learning all the time as a pro and I’m
looking forward to the next couple of years really.
