New chapter begins for unbeaten Dylan
Dylan Norman…looking for 11th straight win. Picture: Michael Ault
KNOWLE, a sleepy, leafy parish shouldering Solihull, is not known as a fight hub.
The shops on its high street are beamed and black and white. They are not made from the harsh concrete that breeds champions.
One fighter, unbeaten super-lightweight Dylan Norman, aims to put his village on the boxing map by claiming a top title.
The exciting 25-year-old has overcome personal tragedy and a career threatening hip injury to peel off 10 straight victories.
At Birmingham Airport’s Holiday Inn on Sunday, Norman begins a new chapter. He has his first fight for trainer John Costello, his first fight under the Black Country Boxing’s banner.
The relationship with Costello sees Norman working side-by-side with top light-middle Ryan Kelly.
Norman told me: “I’m ready to explode, I want to show what I’m capable of.”
Norman’s an exciting box-fighter, but he’ll do well to blast out Fonz Alexander, the four round opponent on Sunday afternoon.
The tattooed Newark veteran of 188 contests knows all the survival tricks in the book. Norman by a shutout 40-36 decision is more likely.
Dylan, a young man with a strong fan base, is having his first bout since February. Hopefully, Costello will bring stability to a career that has seen a number of behind-the-scenes changes.
He began with trainer Malcolm Melvin, then moved to Wayne Elcock, then to Jon Pegg’s Eastside gym.
He’s a fighter who needs the step-up to title level and Costello – passionate about the game, no nonsense and knowledgeable – will know the time is approaching for Norman to be tested.
He’ll want him tested. Costello, honest and straight-talking, is old school and wants his boxers to step-up to the plate, as Kelly has.
And Dylan deserves success. His early years were harsh, the grandmother who raised him collapsed and died in 2023 after attending one of the prospect’s bouts.
Of the move to a new trainer, Norman said: “I was falling out of love with the game, John and Ryan pulled me back up together and put me on a positive path.
“It’s time for me to play catch-up. I’ve gone through setbacks and tragedies, next year is the time to push for titles.
“I’m training with a stablemate (Kelly) who has been on the big stage, been successful on the big stage and knows what it’s all about. That’s a real boost.”
Looking at Dylan’s social media posts, a Solihull butchers has been added to the list of businesses backing his rise by supplying “fresh lean meat”.
They’ve joined at the right time because 2026 has to be the year when Dylan steaks his claim. That has to be the start of a Norman conquest.