sentences:  Paul Hodkinson first caught the eye as an amateur bantamweight in the 1984-85 season with a series of good displays for young England and later for the full international side; but John Davidson a hard hitting and mature Northerner proved a little too rugged for him and Hodkinson’s ABA title campaign came to an abrupt finish in the first round.The one round defeat prompted a rethink in the Kirkby club - whose ‘old boys’ included John Conteh and Joey Singleton - and Hodkinson decided it was time to stop fighting the scales and let his body find its true poundage.As a featherweight the improvement was instantaneous.