Summer Bash 2011, Writing Out Of The Blue Corner….

Silver Dukes Boxing News claimed the best seats in the house to make sure not to miss a single punch at Sunderland’s Stadium of light yesterday in what was the north east boxing event of the decade. The Summer Rumble presented by Phil Jeffries, Neil Fannan and Frank Maloney delivered a knockout showcase that more than lived up to the hype.

Public interest prior to the event was astonishing with hundreds of Dukes Readers frequently checking up on every update concerning any boxer or trainer which seen all three related articles on the Summer Bash reach the number one spot in our most popular posts of the week.

It was said that 1500 tickets had been sold; unless my abacus has broken I may have been grossly ill informed as coach load after coach load of boxing fans made their way to ringside. The fans were out in force and in good voice on a sun soaked Sunday afternoon.

The north east’s finest fans were not the only ones eager to get inside as we were surrounded by the north east’s top media folk with Sun FM, Punchline, north east fight scene and Tyne Tees News in attendance.
The main event was almost over shadowed by debutants Craig Dixon and South Shields Super Featherweight David Lake after both fighters but in a champions shift and kicked off a professional record with an impressive W. Not to be out done Sunderland’s David Dolan was involved in a 10 round thriller with Jon Lewis Dickinson for the Northern Area. Much to the disappointment of the home support Dickinson prevailed with a decision win.

The decision was not without controversy and flashbacks of Macklin/Sturm set in. Another close fight and arguably could have gone either way. Dolan’s body attacks caused ‘Lewie’ some discomfort late on but the left/right upstairs from Dickinson worked wonders at great pace and power behind the straight right throughout the fight.

It was great to see so much north east talent on display and no more so than Martin Ward proving he’s a class act with a bright future. Robert Shaw put up a great fight against Davey Lake and looked really strong but sadly missed out on points.

I’m sure every fan went home more than pleased with what they witnessed and hope it won’t be too long before the north east’s finest are lacing up and heading to war again in a north east ring. Whether your guy won or lost we all have to admire the efforts and commitment that went into every fight by every fighter. I was sat right behind the blue corner next to the fighter’s entrance and you could feel energy building up before each fight.

A massive credit has to be given to Phil Jeffries and Neil Fannan and both I’m sure will be proud of the turn out yesterday and feel the event was a huge success. Phil is said to be negotiating a return showcase this time next year and an October show at Rainton Meadows. I feel we can expect a lot more to come from the north east in the next 12 months and if Summer Rumble was anything to go by I would be on stand by for tickets as they are sure to sell out fast.

Silver Dukes would like to thank Phil Jeffries for letting us get involved and share our views with our world audience. We would also like to thank everyone that got involved with our fan photo’s which will be published soon with our Summer Bash Gallery along with all the fight reviews from the biggest north east boxing event in 25 years, long may it continue.