Dalton casts blame on corner men, seeks return
By Michael DaSilva
Stabroek News
April 11, 2007
Dalton, left, says his corner men are partly to blame for his loss to Andrew `Sixhead' Lewis and is seeking another bout with the former world champion who is eyeing a bout with USA-based Guyanese boxer Raul Frank. (Lawrence Fanfair photo)
Former national junior middleweight boxing champion `Deadly' Denny Dalton is casting part of the blame for the loss of his title to former World Boxing Association welterweight champion Andrew `Six Head' Lewis on his corner men and is seeking a return bout.
Speaking to Stabroek Sport by telephone yesterday Dalton said his corner during Saturday night's bout at the National Park was in confusion.
"They telling me cut him (Lewis) off and work on his body, but that is not how I accustom to fighting. But I telling myself I should fight my way."
According to Dalton, his corner men - Patrick Ford and Joseph Murray - only worked with him approximately three weeks leading up to Saturday's bout and they did not know how he fought best.
"If I didn't take their instructions I woulda win, so I got to take some of the blame," he said yesterday.
Dalton and Lewis fought twice before Saturday's National Park ring date. In the first encounter in October 2005, the bout was declared a technical draw after Lewis suffered a cut from an accidental head butt.
The second time they met (April 2006) Dalton was awarded the then vacant national junior middleweight title after Lewis quit in the seventh round.
Lewis had claimed after that encounter that he had an attack of diarrhoea which made him unable to continue.
Speaking of Saturday's bout during which there were no knockdowns contrary to an earlier report, Dalton said the decision was a fair one, but it could have been the other way around had he fought how he knows best which was to stalk his opponent, wear him down then tag him.
But Dalton, while reiterating that the decision was fair, opined that the referee should have warned Lewis for "excessive hugging and running."
"He run all the time and I didn't get to do what I wanted. The decision is fair, but to me the referee shoulda warn he."
Lewis scored a unanimous victory on Saturday with judge Andrew Thorne awarding the fight to Lewis 117-111, judge Ian Alves giving Lewis the bout 118-110 and judge Rawle Aaron scoring it 120-108.
Lewis won the WBA welterweight title in February 2001 with a seventh round knockout of American James Page to become the first Guyanese to win a world title.
The McNeal Enterprise and I Care Promotions card attracted a sizeable audience which included the Irish cricketers and Digicel's Tim Baharani.
Immediately after the fight, Lewis' manager Odinga Lumumba threw out a challenge to USA-based Guyanese fighter Raul Frank.