DAVID Dolan shrugged off a hairstyle nightmare last night to keep alive his Commonwealth Games dream.

Dolan, a big Sunderland FC fan, dyed his brown hair red and white before beginning his super-heavyweight campaign.

But he took to the ring at the Wythenshawe Forum with a ginger and blonde head after his plan backfired.

Dolan, who stopped the Bahamas' Jerry Otis Butler in the second round, said: "I had it done for the Games and wanted it red and white for Sunderland and England.

"But half the dye has come out on my pillow!

"It's not looking too clever now, so I might have to shave it all off."

Dolan is one win away from a guaranteed medal after disposing of Butler 11 seconds before the end of round two.

The 22-year-old, who was backed by an army of fans from Plains Farm ABC, struggled to take control of the fight in the first round but then exploded into life.

Butler was forced to take two standing counts in quick succession before another flurry of stinging punches forced the referee to call a halt.

Dolan, who will take a bronze medal even if he loses in the semi-finals, said: "It's a long time since I last fought and I didn't really feel good in the first round.

"My timing wasn't quite there, even though I still caught him with some good shots.

"I possibly could have done with another round to get me really sharp, but I saw the opportunity to get him out of there and you don't mess about when you've got the chance to win."

Dolan will meet an opponent from the tiniest country competing at the Games in next Tuesday's quarter-final.

Star Tauasi, from the tiny Pacific island of Niue, knocked down Australia's David Turner twice to secure his place in the last eight.

Tauasi, a store supervisor in New Zealand, said: "We have a population of just 1,800 and this is the first time we've competed at a major sporting event.

"Just to get to the Commonwealth Games is a major achievement. I'm so proud to be here; the battle has already been won.

"I'll take on any fight that I'm presented with, and I'm looking forward to next Tuesday now.

"A few people back home put a little bit of pressure on me to go back with a medal, but I'm not thinking about that at the moment."

l Medal hopes Courtney Fry and David Haye both insisted there was much more to come in their quest for Commonwealth Games gold, writes MARK STANIFORTH.

England's two major gold medal favourites breezed through their first round matches at the Wythenshawe Forum last night.

Heavyweight favourite Haye stopped Pakistan's Shaukat Ali with 25 seconds left in round three on the 15-point rule after racking up a 17-2 lead.

And light-heavyweight Fry, defending the title he won in Kuala Lumpur four years ago, claimed a 23-9 verdict over tough Cameroonian Bertrand Tietsia. Fry said: ''It's a bit sad that I needed a wake-up call like that in the fourth round - there may come a time when I take a shot like that and I can't recover.