Emma Dolan: Olympia Gold

Emma Dolan: Olympia Gold

Emma Dolan has done it the hard way. Dolan has been fighting and winning, away from the bright lights. Even when the light finally came her way, she was brought into lose. But she didn’t. And still she had to wait. Finally, the waiting is now at an end.

Dolan will somewhat belatedly get her elusive maiden world title opportunity this coming Sunday, live on Sky Sports. The 27-year-old will challenge Irma Garcia for her IBF world super-flyweight title.

Garcia, a 44-year-old Mexican, will hope that she will be the first fighter to solve that elusive Emma Dolan puzzle. But sadly for the reigning IBF champion, the odds strongly indicate that she will leave the Olympia in London an ex-champion. Dolan is odds-on to win. The bookies are rarely wrong. They probably have it right again. Maybe for the first time in her near five-year professional career, the odds are now finally in her favour. And heavily so. But the hard road Dolan has taken to this point will serve her well on Sunday. She will know that she can’t take anything for granted.

Dolan turned professional in 2021 with a first-round stoppage victory over Nicole Goldsmith Ryan. A good win over the tough Gemma Ruegg in just her third fight in the pro ranks was a little indication of what was to come. But maybe the hook-up with Carl Greaves was when everything started to change for her. The involvement of Greaves in the recent upward trajectory shouldn’t be overlooked.

A points victory over Halima Vunjabei earned Dolan the Commonwealth super-flyweight title, but the three fights since have been when her obvious class started to shine through. However, it left Dolan firmly set in the who needs her club.

Dolan took away the unbeaten records of Nicola Hopewell and Shannon Ryan. Dolan won both fights on points and looked extremely good in doing so. Dolan dropped Ryan in their 2024 fight, a win that earned her the inaugural British title. Lauren Parker found Dolan too good for her last year. But Dolan has been made to wait on the sidelines while her long-awaited and much-deserved first world title chance got over the line. Dolan knows better than most that boxing politics take too long to get out of first gear.

The unbeaten British and Commonwealth champion is from another time. A good old-fashioned pro who prefers to let her fists do the talking rather than replicate the endless social media barrage we get from some. Many a modern-day fighter is seemingly far too content to focus heavily on their online profile. Dolan prefers to hone her skills in the gym. Despite that unwillingness to go down the route of social media excess, there has been a quiet, assured confidence about Dolan in recent times. It has been a long wait for her, in truth, far too long. But finally, on Easter Sunday, her patience has been rewarded.

Dolan has landed her world title opportunity on the first-ever UK show for Jake Paul and his Most Valuable Promotions. At the top of the show, Caroline Dubois and Terri Harper will finally get to settle their differences in their much-anticipated world lightweight unification showdown, and Ellie Scotney hopes to go undisputed at super-bantamweight. Scotney and Dolan are friends from their amatuer days. It’s fitting that they are reunited once again on the big show.

Dolan isn’t signed to that elite female stable of MVP fighters. Of course, that could change if she wins and impresses the powers that be. But Dolan will know certain things are out of her control. In simple terms, all she has to do is win. I believe she will do exactly that.

Photo Credit: Mark Robinson/MVP