Dylan: Boxing helps me cope with stress of losing Nan Della

Dylan Norman…answered late call to fight at Excelsior Sporting Club

FOR Dylan Norman, fighting eases the pain following the death of his beloved grandmother, who collapsed after watching his last contest.

The unbeaten lightweight prospect again steps into the ring at Cannock’s Excelsior Club next Thursday, September 28 – less than three weeks after losing 62-year-old Della, a mother figure who also financed his title dream.

The 23-year-old, from Knowle, told me: “It helps me cope with the stress of losing my nan.”

Tragically, Della died hours after attending Dylan’s last contest – the most explosive of his five fight career. In Tommy Owens’ Top Boxer tournament at Solihull’s Planet Ice, he blasted out experienced Louis Fielding in a single round.

Norman received the call to box at Scott Murray’s elite Excelsior Club on Monday following the withdrawal of Coventry middle River Wilson-Bent.

Bent is involved in a Midlands super-fight next month against Chelmsley Wood’s Ryan Kelly for the Commonwealth silver title.

An opponent is yet to be named for Dylan, though the contest will be over four rounds.

“It will be hard,” Dylan said, “because my nan was at every one of my fights. There seems a lot more purpose to what I’m doing now. There was real drive and determination before, but, following nan’s death, there’s more reason to do what I’m doing.

“And I feel I have to show the young people who follow me how to cope with loss and stress.”

For Norman, trained by Birmingham’s middleweight champ Wayne Elcock, it’s the first experience of a suited and booted sporting club.

“It’ll be different because I’ve been blessed to have fights in arenas and large halls,” he admitted. “I’m looking forward to the experience. I’m ready, I haven’t been out of the gym since my last fight.”

Norman, in the eyes of many, is favourite to win Top Boxer – and the belt and £6,000 prize that goes with it.

He appears to have the pick of the semi-final draw, facing Worcester 38-year-old Michael Mooney – a man with 108 bouts under his belt – on November 4.

Dylan is taking nothing for granted.

“Mooney wants to win, I want to win the belt for my nan,” he said. “He can be dangerous, he might try to tie me up. We have to take Mooney out of his game.

“Fighting next week keeps me active and I know I have to be even better for the (Top Boxer) semi-final. People haven’t seen the best of me, they didn’t see the best of me last time, I was simply aggressive.

“What I did in the ring is what I do in training.”

Dylan thanked sponsors slotmasters.co.uk and Glass Tower Jewellery.