Victory for Flintoff despite knockdown
The former England and Lancashire cricket star was afforded a hero’s welcome at the Manchester Arena but, after taking the first of four two-minute rounds, he was sent tumbling to the canvas by a counter left from his American foe early in the second.
However, Dawson’s inferior conditioning prevented him mounting a sustained assault and Flintoff showed impressive composure to take the contest 39-38 on referee Phil Edwards’ scorecard — something of an anomaly given round two should have been award to Dawson 10-8 by virtue of the knockdown.
