SUNDERLAND heavyweight David Dolan will make his long-awaited professional debut on Saturday after finally bidding farewell to the amateur ranks.

The 2002 Commowealth Games super-heavyweight gold medallist will ditch the headgear for the first time in his career when he fights in a four-round contest on Clinton Woods' world-title bill in Sheffield.

Most boxing experts expected Dolan to turn professional after his Commonwealth triumph in Manchester.

But a meeting with former world champion Lennox Lewis persuaded him to remain in the unpaid ranks for two years, enabling him to hone his skills away from the glare of the professional limelight.

"There were loads of offers for me to go pro right after Manchester," explained Dolan, who has signed a long-term deal with North-Eastern promoters Fight Academy. "But I spoke to Lennox and he told me that he turned down offers to go pro after the (1984) Olympics and stayed amateur for four years.

"Lennox said I'd get better experience from fighting top international amateurs for a few years. He said that could be the difference between winning titles or not."

Beyond WBC champion Hasim Rahman , it is difficult to think of too many top heavyweights from the last 20 years who have not begun their career with extensive schooling in the amateur ranks.

Lewis was also in his 20s when he turned professional and, while the Canada-born fighter is an exceptionally tough act to follow, Dolan is confident the pro game will suit his style.

"Doing four two-minute rounds doesn't suit me because one of my main strengths is my fitness," he said. "After eight minutes I'm always disappointed the fight is over. I want to box for longer."

Dolan, who received his British Boxing Board of Control licence last Thursday, will fight an unconfirmed opponent on the undercard of Woods' IBF light heavyweight title defence.

* Nigel Wright has earned a tilt at the vacant British light welterweight title on Saturday, writes NEIL HUNTER.

The Spennymoor fighter last night said he was in great shape to take on Londoner Lenny Daws at the York Hall in Bethnal Green.

The top-of-the-bill clash comes little over a year after the 26-year-old won the English title by defeating the previously unbeaten Dean Hickman in Doncaster.

Since that Sky-televised show in March last year, Wright has fought on his home turf and had two trips to Scotland.

Last May, he won a bruising ten-round contest against Alan Bosworth on points, and last November he stopped Kevin McIntyre in the first round of their title eliminator in Glasgow.

In February, Wright warmed up for this weekend's showdown with a fourth-round knock-out of Valery Kharyanov in Edinburgh.

Wright expects to have around 70 supporters travelling from the North-East to London for his tough contest on Saturday.

"There will be a good showing but it would have been more if the timing had been different," he said. "One of my friends is getting married and there are about 30 lads going over to Amsterdam who would have been at the fight.

"It's also the end of the local football season and some of the lads are going to Blackpool, but there will still be good support for me.

"Everything else has gone just right for me and I'm ready for the fight. I'm in great shape and I'm just relaxing. I have got a couple of little training sessions to keep a hold of the weight and I've only got one pound to take off."

Some tickets for the show, which are £35, are still available, and a bus, costing £20, is leaving Spennymoor at midday on Friday.

Anyone wanting to go should call Michael Armstrong on (01388) 812205.

Read more about Sunderland here.