Norman conquers Paredes - now it’s time for title fights

Norman fires an uppercut at Paredes. Picture: Manjit Narotra/BCB

AS respected trainer John Costello stressed after his fighter Dylan Norman’s latest victory: “It’s got to be a title next.”

He is correct. Now 13-0, the Knowle prospect who carried the nickname “Nightmare” has to show how much of a nightmare he is to fellow unbeaten and ambitious contenders.

On Saturday’s BCB show at Aldersley Stadium, Wolverhampton, Dylan ticked another box by facing and beating his first international southpaw.

And Norman, aged 26, beat teak tough Peruvian Cesar Paredes out of sight, taking every round of their eight round bill-topper, referee Kevin Parker scoring 80-72.

Paredes, with 64 bouts to his name, knows all about survival, having already tested good men such as our own Cori Gibbs and Nyall Berry.  He has the spoiling arts to drag boxers into messy exchanges, but Norman (10st 1lbs) kept his shape, remained patient and stuck to the gameplan.

And I’ll admit to eating a slice of humble pie. I’d questioned the boxer’s ability to make super-lightweight, yet, with nutritionist Paul O’Neill on board, he came in bang on weight.

There were times when I thought Paredes was about to be broken by body shots, but the squat, poker-faced visitor sucked it in and saw out the distance.

Yes, at times it was messy, but you can’t expect the action to flow against an opponent who  clung to Dylan like a shipwreck victim who’d found flotsam.

Norman told me: “It was supposed to be my toughest test and I think I made it look easy. I’ve seen him fight before – he comes to win, he wants to fight next week, he’s not going to lie down for anyone.

“In the second half of the fight, the holding came a bit more severe, I was hurting him with those body shots. I showed against a southpaw opponent I can get the job done. That was my second southpaw opponent on the bounce – I’ve ticked everything off the list.

Dylan Norman….now 13-0 and looking for a super-light title fight

Of the future, Norman said: “My team know what they are doing, they know what’s best. I’ll fight whoever’s put in front of me.

“One hundred per cent, I’ll be a better fighter over 10 or 12 rounds. The fitness I have, the levels I have is incredible.”

There’s no doubt Paredes, not in prime shape at 9st 14lbs, felt the going tough. From the start, Norman worked behind a hard jab then harpooned the visitor with rights and lefts to the body.

That was the template for the fight. Norman tried to work inside in the third, was smothered, but still managed to bang in two hard rights downstairs. My notes for that session stated: “Norman body shots beginning to break Paredes down.”

A sickening left to the body sank in in the fifth, Paredes was rattled by a brace of rights – body and head – in the sixth, he took three rapid-fire rights to the head in the seventh.

They did exchange shots in the last before Dylan connected with his best punch of the one-sided encounter – a wicked right hand to the ribs. Paredes took everything, his expression never changing.

Norman, who enjoyed noisy support, said: “Now people are seeing me and seeing I’m consistently performing, consistently entertaining. I think over the years people have realised I represent the people who have come from nothing and I’m honoured by the people who come to support me and those who sponsor me.”