Can Tom Hill overturn the odds and clinch the best win of his career?
Coach Dave Binns certainly thinks so on the eve of Hill’s eight-round confrontation with Jack Rafferty.
This Lancashire v Yorkshire battle in Pontefract on Wednesday evening is one of the stand-out bouts on the MTK show.
Powerful Rafferty is the 1-7 favourite with the bookmakers with Hill 4-1 or 7-2, depending on which bookie you have a wager with.
“I’m not a betting man,” Binns told punch-lines. “But they are very good odds if you want to win a few bob.
“Jack Rafferty looks a good fighter, he’s an aggressive lad and he’s backed that up with seven stoppage wins.
“But I don’t think he’s as good as Tom Hill and I think we’ll see Tom prove that.
“Lewis Ritson is a better version of Jack Rafferty and Tom copes with that style of boxer very well.
“Some people might say ‘you’re talking bollocks Binnsy’ because of Tom’s defeat to Ellis Corrie.
“But I do believe Tom got complacent that night.
“Tom said to me today ‘losing to Ellis Corrie was the best thing that happened to me’ and I do believe he’s come back a better boxer from that defeat.
“I’ve always thought Tom Hill is a class act and he’s an improved boxer now.”
Rafferty, the ‘Demolition Man’ from Shaw near Oldham, has won all 12 of his professional appearances, with Redcar’s ‘One Bomb’ on nine victories with the stoppage loss to Corrie for the Northern Area title last December the sole blemish on his record.
This bout should have taken place on October 18, only to be postponed for a failed COVID test for Hill and Binns.
But Binns says there are no issues for the Peterlee-trained boxer.
“Tom looks absolutely fantastic,” said the coach, “It’s not what you would call perfectly planned preparation.
“But I’ve just got a feeling about this fight.
“In his final spar last week he did two rounds with Darren Surtees, two with Alex Farrell, two with Jimmy Tyers and then finished the eight with one more each with Darren and Alex.
“He made a hard spar look easy, he’s ready for this.”
The light-middleweight contest will be the penultimate contest of a six-fight card at the Production Park Studios.
Wednesday’s MTK event will be shown live on IFLTV from 6.30pm.
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: Tom Collins/ East Durham Life
