Doran gets Max Maxwell instead of Jones

Barrie Jones has pulled out of his scheduled Welsh light-middleweight title shot against Connahs Quay sensation Tom ‘Dazzlin’ Doran. It would be safe to say that the alarm bells might just have started to ring in the Doran camp at hearing this news. Gone was the first step into championship class.

Thankfully these worries were eased when Birmingham based Jamaican Max Maxwell (14-9-3 3KO) stepped up to the plate and answered the call to fight a Commonwealth title eliminator against the rising star.

You don’t need to look back far to see what Maxwell can do to the up and coming prospect. In May 2010 he shattered the unbeaten record of Blackpool’s Brian Rose in six rounds and in doing so obliterated Rose’s chance of fighting for the British title. The KO made it onto Sky Sports ‘Knockouts of the Year’. Since that day he has remained unbeaten in three fights and will be coming to earn that Commonwealth tilt for himself. This really is a match to get those juices flowing.

Still, Doran is his traditional matter of fact manner and sees only one victor in this bout.

“When Jones pulled out it was a nightmare. But now we have Maxwell. I know he is tough but not technically brilliant. Like Jones he has been in with some quality lads but other than Rose, hasn’t been beating them. It is just a case of me staying 100% focused.”

Doran will never be one for big words. Though one of the nicest guys you could meet, he is one of those old fashioned throwback fighters who let their fists do the talking. Still, it won’t be lost on Doran that Maxwell will come believing he deserves that title shot and seeing Doran as a step along his own path towards championship glory. It can’t fail to be explosive.