Tom Hill has not just gone on the road in a bid to make a breakthrough in the welterweight division – he’s travelled 3,500 miles to do it.
Redcar’s former Northern Area title challenger is in Dubai for a potential career-changing opportunity against unbeaten Irishman, Rohan Date, outdoors at the Duty Free Tennis Stadium on Friday.
The 28-year-old is a hot MTK Global prospect with a record of 13 victories and a draw from his 14 paid appearances.
A win for Hill, involved in a great eight-round scrap with Jack ‘Demolition Man’ Rafferty in his last outing (which ended in a 78-75 defeat), should give him a significant climb up the ladder.
“I’m not in this to fight pushovers, I want to be in with good kids, I don’t want to be going back over,” said Tom, who weighed in at 10st 9lb 10oz at Thursday’s weigh-in, 4oz lighter than his foe.
“Beating a kid like him will be a springboard to getting up to where I want to be.
“After the Rafferty fight I want to push on and see how far I can go.”
Given his attitude, his talent, not to mention the influence of coach Dave Binns, you would not rule out a rise up the rankings for the boxer who trains out of the East Durham College gym in Peterlee.
It is a fascinating contest in the United Arab Emirates and certainly one within the compass of Tom, whose record stands at 9-2.
If you have not heard of Date then don’t worry, neither had Hill, who has checked him out ahead of the eight-round contest on part one of Probellum’s bumper two-day event which will be screened live on Eurosport.
Boxing’s on-line Bible, BoxRec, rates him as Ireland’s number one welterweight and with nine of his wins coming inside the distance clearly his ranking is justified.
Based in Dubai, his last four wins have been on home sand in the UAE but, tellingly perhaps, all four have been against boxers with winning records.
Hill therefore represents his biggest step up yet, and ‘One Bomb’ acknowledges that it’s a key date for him too, if you pardon the pun.
This is not simply an all-expenses-paid jolly to one of the most attractive locations in the world.
“This opportunity has come at the right time for me, it’s the perfect fight for me,” he said in an interview with British Boxing Blog.
“It’s a tough fight, he’s a good, well-schooled kid.
“I’m expecting a good fight and I’m aiming to take the W.”
Their eight-rounder has the potential to be one of the best bouts on the card.
History will be made when world champion Estelle Mossely defends her IBO lightweight belt against dangerous Argentinian Yanina del Carmen Lescano in the first ever female world title fight to headline a show in the Middle East.
Ireland’s Jono Carroll is the chief support act in a 10 rounder with Ghana’s Patrick Ayi Aryree
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: Tom Collins
