REDDITCH boxer Carl Dickens moved closer to challenging for his first title after producing one of his most impressive wins so far.
A 39-38 points victory over 11th-hour opponent Lewis van Poetsch, from Gloucestershire, failed to reflect a commanding display which left Dickens looking ahead to a likely British Masters title bout next year.
The Winyates middleweight fighter recorded a seventh win out of eight bouts and says a title showdown now looks “90 per cent likely”.
Dickens was delighted with his performance, especially after learning on the morning of the fight at Villa Park’s Holte Suite that original opponent Robert Studzinski had pulled out.
The Polish fighter apparently went AWOL so Lydney-based van Poetsch, who served as a soldier in Afghanistan, stepped in for the four-round contest.
“I boxed well and I was always confident,” said Dickens. “I won 39-38 but I don’t think the scores did justice to how I boxed. I don’t know what fight they were watching.
“Within a minute of the first round I had bloodied his nose and I could see in his eyes I was hurting him. I came up with some good shots but he took them. I thought I could stop him but he came back a bit in the second before I got on top in the third and fourth rounds.
“He was a tough opponent, but I didn’t get a mark on me.”
Perkins, who trains at the Studio ABC in Kings Norton and Pro Gym in Birmingham with trainer Gary Blower, was cheered on by 90 supporters from Redditch.
Now the Redditch man is looking ahead to a six-round warm-up bout at the Holiday Inn in Birmingham on Thursday, December 17 before a hoped-for British Masters title showdown next March.
“I’m 90 per cent sure I will be boxing for the British Masters title so everything will be aimed at that,” he added.
“Everyone was really pleased with how I boxed against Lewis and I’ll keep pushing.
“I’ll be back in the gym next week, after a short break with the missus.
“The support from everyone has been great and I would like to say a big thanks to my sponsors, IDM Electrical, Passion VIP and Third Party Solutions.”
