Born in London and based in West Ham, Rowland made his professional debut in September 1989 with a win over Terry Smith.
He successfully defended the title in November 1999, stopping Jon Thaxton on a cut in the fifth round at the York Hall, Bethnal Green.
[1] He was due to fight Zab Judah for the IBF world title in mid-2000 but had to pull out after one of his pitbull terriers bit off part of his left index finger.
[1][2] In October 2000 he beat Viktor Baranov by unanimous decision to take the vacant WBU light welterweight title.
Rowland became a successful trainer, working with boxers such as Tony Conquest, John Wayne Hibbert, Richard Hines, Miles Shinkwin, and Mitchell Smith, and in 2010 opened the Noble Art Gym in Rainham.