ALEX DICKINSON
From: Liverpool Age: 30 Height: 6ft 2ins Weight: 220lbs Record: 1-0 (1)
THERE was a polished look about Dickinson on his pro debut in Belfast.
The Scouser, from Formby on the outskirts of Liverpool, showed a good punch variety and power to knock out Ferenc Zsalek, who had previously soaked up everything Sheehan had thrown at him.
Dickinson turned pro at 30 with MTK and Frank Warren after winning the England Boxing Elite championship and Tri-nations gold last year. Dickinson previously won the Novices in 2011, beating Nick Webb in the final, and 2013.
Dickinson only had 16 bouts for Kirkby ABC, losing just once, and blames work commitments for his inactivity.
He’s a self-employed floor layer and said: “I’ve got a mortgage to pay and if I turn work down and take holidays, I don’t get paid.”
Dickinson says acquiring sponsors has enabled him to turn pro. He’s being trained by Paul Stevenson at Everton Red Triangle gym and said: “They’ve got me turning my punches in. Every punch is a knuckle sandwich now!”
Dickinson isn’t the biggest heavyweight – “I’m 6ft 2ins on a good day,” he says – but claimed: “When I get in there with big muscular lads, people think: ‘Alex is going to get a hiding,’ but it’s always the other way round! I’ve got a big heart.”