Dignum has skills to go all the way (From Echo)

Dignum has skills to go all the way

3:50pm Tuesday 17th January 2012 in Sport By Frazer Clark

JOHN Dignum’s trainer and manager Jason Rowland believes his fighter has the tools to go a long way in the professional game.

Rowland watched his 19-year-old fighter easily win his first pro bout on Friday.

Bowers Gifford-based Dignum scored a 40-36 points win over Ryan Clark at Bethnal Green’s York Hall as Dignum’s four-round match went according to plan.

Rowland said: “It went just as I hoped it would go. John’s a classy fighter and once he had got the first round under his belt you could see him settle and say to himself, ‘I can do this’.

“Stepping up to professional boxing is hard.

“The men are bigger and tougher and they punch harder, but the good thing about John is that he has the technique to go far.

“I’m a professional trainer and see many different sorts of fighters, but John’s style suits the way I like to coach.

“I like fighters who are good enough to stay out of trouble and pick people off with punches.

“John’s got a great jab and he uses it well. He’s also got a good boxing brain and he does not get hit. “I wanted him to go the full four rounds because it shows him what’s expected and he did himself proud.

“Ryan Clark did get to him a few times, but this proved that John could go a long, long way. There is the option of national and world titles. He has a lot of potential, but has got to add a bit of man muscle.

“One of the tricky things with first-time pros is getting them to go into their first contest and not go off hell for leather and then blow it.

“They hit hard at the professional level and you’ve got to be ready for this. John settled down quickly on Friday.“ Dignum’s next bout could be in the middle of March, possibly on the same bill as Tony Conquest —another Rowland fighter — who was due to fight on Friday but saw his chances KO’ed when he had an attack of shingles and was forced to pull out.

Rowland said: “It was a bad break for Tony to get shingles.

“He got it about a month ago and could not train, so the fight had to be called off.

“He’s holding down a tough job and has then got all the training and has to prepare all his own meals at home, and this takes its toll on some boxers.”

Speaking about another fighter at the Belhus Park Boxing Club, John McDermott, who has a key battle this weeekend, Rowland said he believed that the fighter needed to get in early and destroy giant Liverpudlian David Price.

“John McDermott’s got to get in there and break Price’s heart,” said Rowland. “He’s done this in the past and he’s got the guts to