Cheema v Stevens - there’ll be fireworks

Cheema…”better than he’s ever been”. Pic: Manjit Narotra/BCB

IT seems an eternity since Dylan Cheema burst spectacularly on the scene by winning the glittering Boxxer tournament.

And much water has flowed under the bridge since that spectacular 2022 success. To a degree, the exciting fighter with quick silver reflexes lost his way a little.

He took a two year break from the sport, got married, became a father, then returned under the BCB Promotions banner last October and peeled off two wins. Karl Sampson was outpointed, Josh Morris stopped.

On Saturday, in the unlikely setting of Northampton’s Mercure Hotel, Cheema – at 29, older and wiser – bids for his first title.

He and Telford’s battle-hardened Kirk Stevens – a real Wrekin Rocky – will fight for the vacant Midlands super-lightweight belt on BCB’s show.

Frankly, the local game needs the colour and carnival generated by Cheema. His entrances alone are an event, with banners, Sikh drummers and deafening noise.

His all-action style is equally entertaining.

After entering Boxxer as a rank outsider and winning, Cheema – bolstered by a big contract – was groomed for stardom on major, televised shows. Losses to Jordan Ellison and Robin Zamora – his only setbacks in 13 – upset the grand plans.

Veteran manager PJ Rowson has always stated Boxxer, and the high-profile publicity that followed, stifled Dylan’s progress. “He was catapulted into superstar status without the grounding,” he told me. “Now he has the grounding.”

Saturday’s scheduled 10 rounder is an encounter between two men with wildly different boxing backgrounds.

Stevens, a welder by day, has never received the red carpet treatment. Trained by Tristan Davies in Donnington, the 36-year-old southpaw has made a habit of defying the odds stacked against him.

Kirk lost his first two bouts, then entered the high-profile “Last Man Standing” tournament: a competition that pitted eight pros against each other in four-round bouts, the winner fighting three times on the night.

Stevens took the high-risk job at short notice, was the oldest in the challenge, the only one with losses on his record.

The fact Kirk won the whole thing is testament to his toughness. The sport had found a new Cinderella man.

In 2023, he faced Potteries warrior Jamie Stewart in Stoke and came home with the Midlands super-lightweight belt. In a rematch three months later, he again beat Stewart, again in Stoke.

Stevens is, however, coming off a stoppage defeat to red-hot prospect Steven Cairns last August. Overall, he’s won seven of 13 (one draw).

Rowson is not underestimating what Kirk brings to the table.

“He’s a very tough man who can hold his own with everyone,” PJ said. “This is a classic small hall 50-50 fight. I think it’s going to be a fantastic fight, it will be a tremendous fight because Stevens is a worthy solid opponent.

“But having seen Dylan spar, I’m extremely happy with where he’s at.”

Interestingly, PJ does not envisage a long super-lightweight reign for Cheema. Dylan is a lightweight who was originally nominated to fight for the Midlands lightweight title.

That contest fell through when two proposed opponents declined the chance to face him. When an opportunity arose at the higher weight, PJ and Cheema took it.

“Id like him to come back to lightweight, take a Midlands title there, then progress him correctly forward at his best weight,” PJ said.

The manager is full of confidence as the contest draws near. “Dylan is looking the best I’ve ever seen him,” PJ insisted. “He is boxing extremely well, it’s a progression I would’ve liked from the start.

“He has turned a corner. We’re at a point where I don’t know where his limit is now – he has progressed in boxing more than I thought possible. He has come back with renewed enthusiasm and if he retains that enthusiasm he has the chance for a very decent future.

“He can go to where people projected he’d be after the Boxxer tournament. I watched him spar Gully Powar – the last spar before Gully’s British title fight. It was better than some of the fights we go to watch, it was really, really enjoyable.”

Stevens…real-life Rocky has done it the hard way

STEVENS’ gritty mindset is perfectly summed up in an interview he gave me last year.

In an era of padded records, Stevens is old school. Reputations don’t both him, only the money on the table matters.

“I don’t mind taking 50-50 fights,” he said, “as long as the money is right and they know I’m coming to win.

“I was never given a chance, I’ve always been the underdog. I don’t mind being the underdog, it is what it is – you roll the dice and see what happens on the night.

“I am willing to put my heart and soul into a fight, I’m willing to put my life on the line. It’s the dog in me, it’s the way I’ve been brought up.

“I’ll take any fight as long as the price is right. If he’s a knockout artist I want a decent wedge. Making money and creating a legacy, that’s what matters.”

He added: “I wish I’d started boxing when I finished playing football as a teenager. I wish I’d started my journey at Donnington because I’m from that neck of the woods.

“I’m 36, it’s just a number. I’m the fittest I’ve ever been, my mental state for the sport is better than it’s ever been. Donnington has given me a new lease of life.

“I’m ready to put on a show, show what I’m capable of, show my skills. I’m more of a boxer now, but I’ve still got that dog in me.

It has all for ingredients for mayhem at the Mercure.