Under The Radar: Emma Dolan

Under The Radar: Emma Dolan

There are many fighters who don’t get the recognition or the promotion that they deserve. In simple terms, fighters who deserve a bigger push. They could be an up-and-coming undefeated prospect. A fighter who has suffered a few early career defeats, but their resume hides a fighter who deserves a little more attention. It could even be a champion who, despite being a national or even a world champion, is still going under the radar somewhat. Emma Dolan is one such fighter.

Dolan is an undefeated British and Commonwealth super-flyweight champion. A fighter coming off three highly impressive wins over Nicola Hopewell, Shannon Ryan, and Lauren Parker. Hopewell was unbeaten in 2023, when Dolan defended her Commonwealth title in some style. Maybe on that night, we saw for the first time just how good Emma Dolan was.

But in June last year, Dolan was perhaps even more impressive when she defeated another unbeaten fighter. Shannon Ryan was undefeated in seven fights when the Matchroom prospect challenged Dolan for her Commonwealth bauble in Birmingham, with the inaugural British super-flyweight title also on the line. Dolan dropped Ryan in the closing moments of the second round. Arguably, the bell saved Ryan from a stoppage defeat. To her credit, Ryan did recover and pushed Dolan hard down the stretch. Dolan edged it on the cards and deservedly so.

Dolan returned in April to beat the former European champion Lauren Parker on points. Those three wins demonstrated just how good Emma Dolan is. But there is still that feeling that Dolan is underappreciated in the wider boxing world.

Carl Greaves, who has been at the helm guiding the career of Dolan so well over the last few years, believes his fighter isn’t getting the plaudits that she deserves. “Yes, I believe Emma is going under the radar, unfortunately,” Greaves told FightPost. “Promoters don’t seem to want to sign fighters who can actually fight. They would rather sign fighters who have got big social media followings. Emma is a girl who can really fight, but definitely doesn’t get the credit she deserves.”

Greaves makes a very good point about the importance that promoters place on the size of an online presence. While that obviously does play a part in this modern digital age, but equally, the larger promotional outlets should use their expansive social media platforms to actually promote their talent. Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) are a prime example of how to do it properly. There is a world of difference in how they promote their fighters in comparison to their rivals.

Emma Dolan also believes her abilities are underappreciated and she also cites the size of her online following as a reason. “I believe I am going under the radar,” Dolan says. “I think that’s down to a few things. I don’t have a massive social media following, so that can be a hindrance. I struggle to act a certain way. I am who I am, and that’s not for everyone, I guess. I also believe that if a promoter has already put money into a fighter, they want to see that fighter succeed. So that can put you in a difficult position without a promoter, even though you are the better fighter.”

Greaves firmly believes Dolan is a world champion in waiting. “When I look at all the world champions at Emma’s weight, she can definitely beat any of them. Emma is the IBF number one-ranked challenger and mandatory challenger. It goes out for negotiations in October. If nothing can be agreed, it will go out to purse bids, so let’s see what happens. In the meantime, it would be nice for Emma to defend her British and Commonwealth titles to stay active.”

Dolan also shares Greaves’s thoughts on her potential at the highest level. “I don’t believe in ceilings as such,” Dolan adds. “There are some really talented fighters out there, but I believe I’m one of them, and I genuinely believe I can beat any of the current champions on my day. I’m constantly learning and improving. I’m hungry and incredibly competitive. I believe no one has seen the best of me yet.”

“It seems so close,” Dolan says of that potential world title opportunity. “But also, it seems so far away. I’m ranked number one with the IBF, but it doesn’t seem like that fight will be happening next. I really hope to get a shot soon.”

Emma Dolan is seemingly within touching distance of an opportunity to fight for the super-flyweight championship of the world. But boxing doesn’t always work the way it should, and even when it does, it doesn’t move anywhere near quick enough.

Dolan has three good victories on the bounce. Wins that, in truth, deserved better. Her profile should be much higher. Jake Paul and MVP could do a lot worse than hooking up with Dolan. They most certainly have a lot to work with. At 27, Dolan has her best years ahead of her.

Unfortunately, unless something changes, Carl Greaves might be right; Dolan will probably have to be content with defending one or both of her current titles before that golden opportunity on the world stage materialises. But at some point in the early months of the new year, the days of Emma Dolan going under the radar could and should be long gone.