Undefeated “Dangerous” Denton Daley (12-0, 6 KOs), pitched a complete shutout last Saturday night against veteran Andres Taylor (21-6-2, 8 KOs), winning all 12 rounds on each of the three judges’ scorecards, at Hershey Centre in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
The 31-year-old Denton, who is rated No. 6 by the World Boxing Association (WBA), controlled the action from the opening bell despite aggravating a hand injury.
Denton, a former basketball standout at Canadian hoop powerhouse Sheridan College, made a firm statement to the world’s leading cruiserweights, the majority of whom reside in Europe or Russia.
“I’m ready to fight in a title eliminator, if not a for a world title,” Denton said. “This fight I made a statement about my progression to fight on the big stage, at the very least, against one of the top contenders.”
A college graduate with a degree in business administration, Daley fought 12 rounds for the first time in his relatively young professional boxing career. “We never train to go less than 12 rounds,” he explained, “but it is different going 12 in a fight. I was confident of being able to go 12 but hadn’t done it yet. I asked my trainer, Syd (Vanderpool), what the secret was to go 12 rounds. He just said, ‘It’s just two more rounds to fight.’ Then, I went out and did it against a tough, experienced opponent.”
Vanderpool (35-4, 23 KOs) is a two-time world title challenger who is known as a very technical coach. “This win was very important but I also look at each fight to see progression and development in all areas: skill, conditioning, and mental toughness.
Denton took a huge step this fight in developing mentally and that will prove to be a major asset that we can now call on with confidence because he had to overcome some adversity in this fight to get the win. I am very pleased with his performance.”
Daley’s promoter, Don MacDonald (Universal Boxing Promotions), was equally pleased with Denton’s overall performance. “Denton was in control of the fight the entire night,” he added. “He hit Taylor at will. His jab was crisp and accurate.”
Although Daley may not be quite ready to take on Yoan Pablo Hernandez, Marco Huck, Krzysztof Wlodarczyk or Denis Lebedev right now, the Canadian cruiserweight is making noise north of the border, as well as positioning himself for a possible world title shot within the next year.
Denton vs. Taylor headlined “Doomsday,” promoted by United Boxing Promotions (UBP) in association with Title Fight Promotions.
