Cheema returns with bout in Birmingham
Dylan Cheema…boxing at Eastside Rooms after eight months out
DYLAN Cheema – the golden boy of Sikh boxing – returns to the ring close to eight months after suffering the first blemish on a career that appeared gilt edged.
The Coventry lightweight, blessed with razor sharp reflexes, fights on BCB’s July 30 bill at Eastside Rooms, Birmingham.
It is the 27-year-old’s first competitive action since his surprise four rounds points loss to Jordan Ellison in Manchester last November.
Ellison is competitive and rugged, but was believed to be a mere part of Dylan’s ring education - he now has a modest 14-48-3 record. Such are the perils of four round contests: there’s little time for a fighter to pull away from the opposition or grind them down.
And the loss should be seen for what it is. Cheema, still learning the professional ropes, fell short by one point in a fairly meaningless encounter. He was not stopped or dominated.
It was a disappointment, not a disaster.
And let’s put things into perspective. Even the legends slipped-up early doors. Bernard Hopkins lost his debut. British and European middleweight champ Bunny Sterling lost his first three.
Only Dylan’s dazzling success in last year’s televised Boxxer tournament prevented the defeat from being a single paragraph at the basement of a big fight press report.
He was the rank outsider, with only two fights to his name, yet collected the cash prize and major promotional deal that went with it.
Some “experts” were stating they had witnessed a superstar in the making. That’s a heavy weight of expectation on a novice’s shoulder.
He is a young man without an amateur pedigree, having come from the kick-boxing ranks.
He has still had only eight fights – three of them over three rounds on a single night.
Yet, bizarrely, some are already announcing his boxing obituary, which I find baffling. It’s akin to food critics panning a gourmet meal before it’s been placed in the oven.
The bottom line is that boxing’s a lot better for Dylan Cheema’s presence.
He has a vast army of supporters. Accompanied by drummers into the ring, he brings a carnival atmosphere to shows. He has, importantly, ignited fight fever among the Sikh community.
Financially, Cheema doesn’t need to box. Before becoming a full-time fighter he ran a warehouse, his parents own a successful supermarket network.
He’s in this bleeding business to create a legacy.
After his defeat, Dylan told me: “Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I don’t really care what they say as long as they’re talking about me.
“When anyone loses, they are dismissed as washed-up. Liam Smith is a perfect example – he was supposedly washed-up after losing to Canelo, but came back to smash Eubank.
“I will do what I need to do and I know what I need to do. I was beaten as a kick-boxer and came back. I know how to come back stronger and with the bit between my teeth.
“Everyone has an opinion and they are right to have an opinion. But the only three people I will listen to are my three coaches. I have a very good team around me.”
Dylan Cheema – a learner yet to take part in a six rounder – has lost. He probably learned more from that contest than a dozen one-way, 40-36 victories.
Dylan Cheema lost – and it’s time the naysayers got over it.