Four men arrested in Calais lorry after British boxing champion Tony Dodson’s son is stabbed

Anthony Dodson, 21, was seriously injured during a brawl in the centre of Liverpool just after Christmas

The men were arrested by French police (file photo) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Four men have been arrested in a lorry in Calais after a British boxing champion’s son was stabbed.

Anthony Dodson, 21, was seriously injured in the early hours of 27 December during a brawl in the centre of Liverpool.

A manhunt reached France last week when officers raided a truck on Tuesday and found men hiding inside.

French police revealed on Saturday that the foursome are suspected of attempting to murder Mr Dodson.

A source described the arrest, saying: “It [the lorry] was parked close to the port of Calais. A number of men of different nationalities, including British, were found inside the truck and they were all arrested.”

Four British men from the suburbs of Liverpool were brought before Guirec Le Bras, the public prosecutor in Boulogne.

The French authorities established that the men were wanted in connection with the attack on Anthony Dodson. The men were accompanied back to England by police officers from the UK.

Victim Anthony Dodson’s father, Tony Dodson, pictured, competed as a boxer between 1999 and 2016 (Getty Images)

Once back in Liverpool, the four men were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and violent disorder, before being charged on Friday, along with a fifth suspect. The five men were set to appear at Liverpool and Knowsley Magistrates Court yesterday.

A sixth man was arrested on Friday night in connection with the incident. He was taken to a police station to be questioned by detectives.

Mr Dobson was given medical assistance at the scene of the attack before he was taken to hospital, where he was assessed as in a stable condition.

Two other men, aged 21 and 23, self-presented at another hospital with wounds to the head and back. They have been discharged from hospital following treatment, along with a fourth man, aged 20, who was found to have sustained lacerations to his head.

Anthony Dodson’s father, Tony Dodson, 43, competed as a boxer between 1999 and 2016, and held the British super middleweight title in 2003.

He also challenged for the Commonwealth super middleweight title in 2006 and the light heavyweight title in 2012.