Talented young boxer's family issue update after he was stabbed in the chest
A talented young boxer is "on the right track" as he recovers from being stabbed in the chest.
Anthony Dodson, 21, has been named by his family as one of three men wounded after a mass brawl broke out on Victoria Street, Liverpool city centre, in the early hours of Wednesday. Shortly after 5.30am, police patrols came across Mr Dodson at the junction of Church Street and Whitechapel, having suffered injuries.
The other two victims, a 21-year-old man, who is stable after suffering a stab wound to the back, and a 23-year-old man, who suffered a laceration to the head, both made their own way to hospital. Merseyside Police said the men's injuries are linked to a disturbance which began in The Safe House nightclub on Victoria Street before spilling out onto Peter Street. No arrests have been reported as yet.
Yesterday Chief Superintendent Zoe Thornton confirmed Mr Dodson had undergone surgery and the force said he was in a "critical but stable" condition. Family members of Mr Dodson posted further updates on social media, suggesting that while he was still "very poorly", he was now "on the right track".
A relative told the Liverpool Echo, said: "Anthony is one of the most kind, lovely lads you ever meet, wouldn't hurt a fly, do anything for anyone, works very hard trains very hard. I need everyone to pray God." Mr Dodson is the son of former professional boxer Tony Dodson, who held the British super middleweight title in 2003. He retired in 2016 with a pro record of 32 wins, eight losses and one draw.
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Anthony Dodson won the Merseyside and Cheshire Youth Championship final in 2020, and made it to the quarter finals of the national championship fighting out of Gemini in Speke. Yesterday Chief Supt Thornton said she wanted to stress the incident is not representative of the nightlife in Liverpool, and said statistics show knife crime has dropped significantly.
She said in Liverpool in the 12 months to date, knife crime offences in Liverpool have reduced by 26%, while serious violence has reduced by around 15%. She continued: "We want to really get across that Liverpool is a really safe place to come, in terms of we have had a 26% reduction in knife crime in the last 12 months, and we don't people to stay away from the Christmas markets or the night time economy."
A brawl is believed to have broken out in central Liverpool (Liverpool Echo)Yesterday staff at the Sir Thomas Hotel, on the opposite side of Victoria Street to the Safe House, said guests had reported being woken by screaming and shouting in the early hours of the morning when asked how their stay was. Over on Church Street, discarded medical equipment including a sheet and medical gloves could be seen a few metres from the entrance to McDonald's at the junction with Lord Street and Paradise Street.
Merseyside Police added that an investigation is ongoing and CCTV, witness and forensic enquiries are being carried out. Local businesses have been spoken to and a mobile police station has been installed in Lord Street. Detective Chief Inspector Tony Roberts added: “We know that there were vehicles and pedestrians in the area of Peter Street who may have witnessed the disturbance and we would appeal to anyone who was in the area to come forward.
A crime scene pictured with a marker on Peter Street (Liverpool Echo)“I would ask taxi and delivery drivers to check their dashcams to see if they captured anything significant and members of the public to come forward if they captured any photographs or video footage on their mobile phones. Knife crime has no place on the streets of Merseyside and we are committed to finding the people who choose to carry knives. We need the public to speak to their family and friends and make it socially unacceptable for them to even think of carrying weapons.
“While people may be concerned when they hear of incidents such a this I want to reiterate that Merseyside has seen a 22% decrease in knife crime in 2022-2023 compared to the previous year, the second highest reduction of any county nationally and the force remains determined to further reduce knife crime and the devastating impact it has on individuals, families, and the wider community.
“We aim to do this through working with partners, educating people and using robust policing methods including dispersal zones, stop searches and Serious Violence Reduction Orders (SVRO).” Anyone with information is asked to direct message @MerPolCC on X or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers UK, anonymously, on 0800 555 111 quoting log 156 of 27 th December.
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