Amateur

He became British champion at 201 lbs from 2000–2002.

At the Commonwealth Games 2002 he competed at super-heavyweight and beat David Cadieux of Canada in the final, winning 27-20.

Dolan then dropped down again to 201 lbs where he lost in the second round of the World Championships to hard-punching southpaw Viktar Zuyev, who knocked him down twice. Later in the year he split a pair of fights with American star Matt Godfrey.

At the World Championships in 2005, he lost to eventual runner up Elchin Alizade.

Early professional career

Dolan begun his professional career competing at heavyweight and had his first professional contest in May 2006 scoring a four round points victory over Nabil Haciani. Over the next two years he fought six more times scoring wins over experienced journeymen Paul King, Luke Simpkin, Tony Booth and Lee Swaby.^[1]

Prizefighter tournament

On 11 April 2008, with a record of 7-0, Dolan appeared in the first edition of the Prizefighter series on Sky Sports, beating Darren Morgan on points in the quarter-final. Before defeating Paul Butlin in the semi-final to set up a final showdown with Martin Rogan, which he lost by a unanimous decision after being knocked down two times.^[2]

Move to Cruiserweight

Following the tournament Dolan decided to begin campaigning at the cruiserweight level as he often found himself giving weight away to other heavyweights. In July 2008 he won his first fight at the weight against the Brazilian Elvicio Sobral and then in October 2008 beat the French fighter Rachid El Hadak^[3] to set himself up for a shot at the full British cruiserweight title held by Robert Norton.

British title challenge

On 6 February 2009, Dolan fought Norton for the British title with the vacant commonwealth belt also on the line. The fight took place in the Aston Events Center in Birmingham and saw a total of five knockdowns before ending with a unanimous points victory for the champion handing Dolan only the second defeat of his career.^[4]