Who is Peter Dobson?
Conor Benn (22-0 14KO) returns to America to face Peter Dobson (16-0 9KO) on Saturday, February 3 at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, live on DAZN.
‘The Destroyer’ is targeting the big names and World titles in 2024, and that campaign starts against 8/1 underdog Dobson over 12 rounds at welterweight.
But who is his next opponent, Peter Dobson? Find out a wealth of facts about him below:
“Pistol Pete”
Peter Dobson was born in The Bronx, New York, America, on 16th May 1990. He has a sister, who is 10 years older.
His father was murdered in broad daylight when Peter was just one week old, shot five times in his car in a drive-by shooting at the hands of a rival drug gang. His dad was a feared drug dealer in the local area.
Peter grew up in a tough neighbourhood, surrounded by drugs and crime. He reflected, “All the older people I know around me that were successful, they were all drug dealers. That’s all I saw. If you want to get money or you want to get out the hood, the best way to do it is to sell drugs. So that’s why I wanted to be a drug dealer, because I wanted to do better for my family.”
He has been boxing for 17 years, first starting aged 16. His aunt had a gym near to her house, so Peter and his cousin went together. When that gym closed down, Peter joined South Box, run by former standout amateur, Eric Kelly. His relationship with Kelly is what helped elevate his boxing career.
Before boxing, he played for the New York Gauchos, an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball team that only the best of the best in the New York area played for, and has produced NBA stars such as Rod Strickland, Mark Jackson, Stephon Marbury.
As an amateur, he won the NYC Golden Gloves when he was 23-years-old, beating the number one in the country in the final, whilst working night shifts every day. Most Americans consider the New York Golden Gloves as the most difficult state competition to win. He also won the NYC Metro.
His amateur record was 65-6.
2013 was such a successful year for him in the amateurs that he decided to turn pro, citing his reasons as: “If I could beat these dudes and I’m working a job, and I’m not even taking this serious, imagine if I put 100% in?”
He won his pro debut on 20th September 2014 against Mack Babb on points – 40-36.
When he reached 8-0, he defeated Jeremy Nichols, who was also eight fights unbeaten, for the WBC USA Silver welterweight title in 2017. The next person to win that same title was Jaron “Boots” Ennis.
He was once ranked in the WBC Top 40 welterweight world ratings.
The 33-year-old has previously been due to fight Caoimhin Agyarko and Pat McCormack, but both fights fell through.
His boxing nickname is “Pistol Pete”.
He is managed by Ryan Rickey, who says of him, “Pete is one of the most respected guys in the New York boxing scene. He has been avoided by most. His notable wins were all as him coming in on the B side as he was ‘expected to lose’ by the promoter.”
During 2023, he has been taking part in The Combat League as a member of NYC Attitude. Team Combat League matches feature 24 three-minute rounds of non stop action. Competitors compete in one round matches and over eight weight classes. 16 fighters or two fighters per weight class per team appear in each match, which is broken up into three periods.
Notable fights include Emmanuel Medina on July 20, 2019; Jeremy Nichols on March 24, 2017; and Miguel Borregga on February 25, 2022.
He has sparred with the likes of Jaron Ennis, Erickson Lubin, Terence Crawford.
Pete trains all year round in NYC with a host of trainers. In preparation for fights, he relocates to Miami, Florida with head coach Jeff Poritz at Bay to Bay Boxing. Jeff also trains 9-0 rising heavyweight star, 19 year old Lorenzo Medina, who was the TV opener on last week’s Jake Paul undercard.
He has trained at The Mayweather Gym in Las Vegas and the Wildcard Gym in LA.
He sparred Adrien Broner at Floyd’s gym and believed that he did really well against him. He was later aggrieved to see that Broner posted clips on his Instagram of him hitting Dobson only, so not showing the full story of the spar, and now Adrien Broner is No.1 on his hit list.
He has ambitions to make enough money from boxing to be able to open his own boxing gym one day.
He has a son called Eli and is separated from his wife.
He enjoys watching other sports, basketball and American football, but considers himself a student of boxing.
His Roots are Jamaican and Puerto Rican.
What have they said?
Conor Benn: “Headlining in Vegas is a dream come true, not just for me, but for any fighter who grew up watching the sport of boxing. Vegas has been the stage for many legends before me, and I can’t wait to step into that arena on February 3rd against the undefeated Welterweight Peter Dobson, who stepped up to accept the challenge when many wouldn’t.
“I was disappointed when my previous fight fell through, but in this sport, when one door shuts, another one opens. This setback has brought me back to where I need to be, and I’m here to put the entire 147 division on notice.
“I want to thank my family, my dedicated team, my loyal friends, and fans who have supported me throughout my journey. We have an exciting 2024 ahead of us, starting with our Vegas debut, marking the beginning of our pursuit for World Welterweight championships.”
Peter Dobson: “I want to thank Matchroom for keeping their word and circling back to me after a few fights fell through previously. Eddie Hearn is a standup guy. Let’s hope Conor Benn stays healthy and comes ready, but the fact is, I’ve said yes to everyone Matchroom has given me. Agyarko, McCormack, and now Benn.
“Conor is coming to the US and going to get his ass whooped. He’s not his daddy. He never seen anyone like me. ‘Pistol’ Pete Dobson is about to ruin another Matchroom hype job. This time in the ring.”
Ryan Rickey: “Pete is a fighter through and through. I respect all fighters, including Conor Benn. I see it as a very evenly matched fight. I attended Conor’s last fight, as did Pete. We both almost nodded subconsciously as to say, we see the deficiencies. He’s strong and athletic. But it will take a tremendous amount more than those attributes to beat Peter. I personally don’t see it happening. I think the world has been missing Peter Dobson. February 3rd they will get to see what they’ve been missing and why.”
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