Dawson closes in on title challenge

GRITTY Neil Dawson expects to challenge for the British title this autumn after his stunning win over one of the hottest prospects in the cruiserweight division.

Dawson dismantled the previously unbeaten Chris Keane in two rounds in his own back yard in Walsall last Friday to regain his WBO international title and rise to number two in the rankings.

The Thorpe Hesley fighter is now in line to be declared mandatory challenger for Jon Lewis Dickinson's British belt, with the fight taking place as early as September.

If he does get the nod, Dawson will go in full of confidence having taken the scalp of Keane, a former amateur champion.

Highly regarded, the Midlands fighter had carded ten wins from ten — five by KO — before being dumped on the seat of his pants last Friday.

"There was a lot of pressure but as soon as I got in there, I thought I could win," said Dawson (32). "Keane is meant to be a big puncher but he didn't feel overly powerful and every time I hit him, I hurt him.

"The first round was slow, then in the second he threw a right that didn't land so I turned him and hit him with a left hook and he wobbled back to the ropes. I followed up and he went down and although he got back on his feet, he didn't know where he was."

The win, by a technical knockout, stunned the home crowd.

"I was dropped off a couple of hours beforehand and had no team around me," said Dawson. "There were just six people in the crowd supporting me, just close friends and family, but there were loads watching it on TV and after the fight my phone was red hot."

Victory atoned for Dawson's Prizefighter defeat to Danny McIntosh earlier in the month and puts him on the brink of completing a remarkable turn-around.