Until then, he had been having a fair old time, Dickens. In fact, since losing an IBO super-featherweight title against Hector Andres Sosa in 2023, the squat southpaw from Liverpool has won four on the bounce, including wins against Zelfa Barrett and the unbeaten Russian Albert Batyrgaziev, whom Dickens beat in July to claim the WBA belt. Dickens had, at the age of 34, come into his own. His five pro defeats – to Sosa, Kid Galahad (twice), Thomas Patrick Ward, and Guillermo Rigondeaux – were, it turns out, the making of him. From each of those experiences he took something and built on it and now, on the brink of turning 35, he found himself walking to a ring in Dublin as a world champion. Better yet, he was the kind of world champion to whom other contenders, perhaps with a defeat or two to their name, could look for inspiration. He was in that sense relatable; easy to get behind.Â