Boxing Profile: Redcar's Tom Hill

Redcar boxer Tom Hill is celebrating winning his first title as he beat Tyneside’s Ewan Mackenzie by stoppage in the seventh of ten scheduled rounds to secure the Northern Area welterweight belt.

Tom Hill - photo courtesy of Adam McDonough

"I’d had almost two years out of the ring and then won a fight on a local show in April, after which I got the call proposing the title bout. I dominated the fight immediately and put him down with a right hand in the second round. He went down heavy, but Ewan’s a tough lad and recovered well. In the seventh, I landed a left hook to the body, and he turned his back and took a knee. He beat the count, but the referee stopped it when I followed up after the knockdown, and he was hurt quite badly. People don’t realise you recover from a headshot, but recovering from a hard body shot is very difficult.

"Winning this belt is a step in the right direction and will push my ranking even higher. I’m looking forward to getting back in the gym and working towards whatever’s next. Many boxers don’t want to take risks because they’re scared to lose. Not me. I want challenging fights. If I’m good enough, I’ll win. If not, I’ll lose, but at least when I look back later in life, I’ll have some great memories. I’m going to have a chat with my manager and try to get an English or British title eliminator bout next."

In April, Hill had won his first bout in almost two years on a local show at the Eston Sports Centre, organised by promoter Jamie Sheldon. Hill won every round of his six-round bout against Serge Ambomo, who’s originally from Cameroon but now based in Sheffield.

Tom Hill - photo courtesy of Graeme Blackburn

"That fight went as expected; I’d boxed Serge before. I knew how tough he can be. I hurt him with a left to the body in the second round, but he’s as tough as they come, and it's very hard to land clean shots on him, so I couldn’t follow it up with a knockout. It felt good to return to the ring and shake off any ringrust, Hill explained. 'I might technically have been inactive, but I'd been very active in the gym, getting good hard rounds in sparring with some of the best boxers around. It paid off because the phone rang, and I was suddenly preparing for a title bout. My professional record since 2017 now stands at twelve wins and three losses."

A scaffolder by trade, Hill is twenty-nine and lives with his wife and dogs in Redcar. Phil Jeffries manages him, and Niki Wiley, his hometown gym's coach, is once again coaching him. "It was great having Niki back in my corner after having spent six years coached by Dave Binns, who remains a firm friend."

Hill fits boxing training around working full-time as a scaffolder and expressed gratitude to 'everyone who bought tickets to see me box, especially my sponsors, including Ultimate Landscapes, Bumble Beez, Power Cleanse, Active Body Conditioning, Blueberry Nutrition, Telcos Ltd, DML Sports Therapy, and Motif8.’ However, Hill is ‘currently looking for extra sponsors to join the team to help me towards my goal of becoming British champion.’ Potential new sponsors can contact him at tomhill1995@gmail.com .

Tom Hill - photo courtesy of Graeme Blackburn

Those interested in boxing training at Hill’s RABC can contact the club via social media or on 07979 153201, or just turn up at Redcar Memorial Hall, 7 Coatham Road. For example, juniors aged 8 through 15 train three evenings a week at £3 a session or £25 monthly membership.