Tommy Hyde Has World Ranking in his Sights
The plan is to have Tommy Hyde both world title eligible and ready by the end of the year.
The Cork super middleweight continued along an upward trajectory with victory Down Under last weekend.
The 25-year-old, knocked out his Tanzanian southpaw Anuary Mlawa in the opening session of their scheduled eight-rounder on “SLB Fight Night,” presented by Sam LaBruna, at The Melbourne Pavilion to move 11-0.
Hyde hopes the win is the first of four registered this year.
The road warrior will ship back out to Boston in the Summer and plans a busy run that will see him sprint into the top 10 at 168lbs.
“This year is going to be a busy year; I’m hoping to fight three more times with a step-up in each fight,” Hyde said post the win.
“Tommy will fight three more times this year,” the Cork boxer’s father and manager Gary Hyde added. “His next fight will be in Boston in late June. The short-term plan is to challenge for a regional title by the end of this year, which will give Tommy a top 10 ranking, and then we keep building and learning. Once he is ranked in the top 10, he will be within striking distance of world title shots, and once the right opportunity arises, we will take it.”
The popular 168lbs boxer was more than happy with his latest performance, the time spent in Australia, and the support he received there.
“I’m happy with my performance, I landed some good shots, and I felt very strong,” Hyde evaluated his performance Down Under. “I’ve been working hard in the gym so, if I can get an early night, I’ll take it every time. I’m getting great sparring in the gym and that’s where I’ll do the majority of my learning.”
More than 5,000 miles away from his home in Cork, Ireland, Hyde felt comfortable spending three weeks in Australia preparing for his fight with Mlawa, his eighth pro fight outside of his native Ireland.
“The last three weeks in Australia were one of the best experiences of my life and I met some great people. I got a great reception on my ring walk in front of a very noisy Irish crowd and then we enjoyed celebrating at the after-party, too. I made a lot of new friends in Melbourne and I’m looking forward to coming back to fight here again.
