Vegas Inspired Tommy Hyde Looking for KO Jackpot in Boston
The pressure to get the knockout is gone but the desire for an early finish remains the same.
Tommy Hyde was taken the distance for the first time last time out, the safe, stubborn, and fundamentally sound Salim Ben Rejeb staying in there for six.
‘The Governer’ bossed a real learning fight and won every round but would have preferred an eye-catching early finish for his well-supported homecoming.
Still, the 24-year-old, who has grown up around the game, is savvy enough to understand the reason he saw the final bell for the first time, as well as smart enough to take the positives going into his outing in America on Friday night.
One such positive is the end of the pressure to get the stoppage that comes with a 100% percent KO record, although Hyde’s thirst for blood remains the same.
“When you’re record is all knockouts you’re expected to keep getting them, so at least I don’t have to think about that now,” he tells Irish-boxing.com.
“But to be honest I’m always looking to get the finish if it’s there. It would’ve been nice to get an early finish at home but we can do that next time,” he adds before reflecting further on his most recent win.
“I would have liked to get the stoppage at home last time out but I wasn’t fighting a knock over either. Rejeb has been a handful for a lot of his opponents and I felt like I dealt with him comfortably.”
As well as the positives Hyde also took a lot of learnings from dark arts master Rejeb.
“He was a tough lad who was defensively sound so I notice a few things I could’ve done differently when I watched it back.
Of course, there’s always room for improvement and that’s what I’m working on in LA with my coaches.”
Another early test awaits for Hyde when he returns to the ring in the Memorial Stadium, Quincy this weekend.
The Rebel County man shares the ring with Robert Talarek on the same card as Thomas O’Toole appears.
At 40 the Pole is past his best but has a winning record and has proved extremely durable of late. The Garwolin native also brings a lot of experience to the table having won a Polish title, fought for numerous ranking belts and having shared the ring with the likes of Liam Smith, Conrad Cummings and John Ryder.
“I’m looking to progress every fight and we’ve shown that every fight has been a step up since I turned pro 9 months ago,” Hyde comments when asked about his sixth career foe.
“I’m looking to show more improvements every time I step into the ring, so I’ll be using my boxing skills to break this fella down. He has a lot of experience and he’s after fighting some big names but never an Irish fella in Boston,” he adds.
Hyde goes into the fight after a training camp in LA and an inspiring trip to Las Vegas.
The NoWhere2Hyde fighter took in the big fight nights on the strip, including Crawford vs Spence and was suitably inspired. He hopes one day to fight in the gambling capital of the world but is aware it takes hard work not luck to hit the Las Vegas boxing jackpot.
“We were in Vegas a few weeks ago, it’s great being back at them shows and there’s always a good buzz at the fights. It’s a place I’d love to fight in, in the next few years.
“Those are the type of shows I’m looking to fight on eventually and I know it’s coming, so it was great motivation going back to LA for the last week of training.”
