‘THIS COULD BE A NIGHTMARE FIGHT FOR TOMMY’

Tommy Frank will make the first defence of his British Flyweight Title on Sunday April 3 in an all-Yorkshire clash against Craig Derbyshire, LIVE on Fightzone.

Rotherham’s Magna Centre will be the venue as Sheffield’s Frank aims to repel the challenge of Doncaster’s Derbyshire, a man he beat in 2018 for the Central Area Super Flyweight belt.

Since that clash, the fortunes of the two fighters has varied. ‘Super’ Tommy is now 15-2 (3), with those brace of defeats coming to Mexico’s Rosendo Hugo Guarneros. The 28-year-old has gone on to claim the Commonwealth Super Fly crown, international belts and the Lonsdale Belt with a dominant points win over Birmingham’s Matt Windle last year.

Craig’s 8-28-3 (2) ledger belies his ability. Always on the road and in the away corner, the 30-year-old is currently in the form of his life winning three of his last four, including picking up the English Super Flyweight Title last September with a huge upset win over top amateur and previously unbeaten pro, Joe Maphosa.

The undercard is stacked with Leeds’ light-heavyweight Reece Cartwright; Sheffield’s KO artist Keanen Wainwright, unbeaten 10-0 Leeds fighter Billy Pickles, Levi Giles 11-0 from Grimsby, and Wolverhampton’s up and coming Katie Healy all set to appear.  Also on the card are France’s Ismael Francois Milad, Sheffield’s Zane Clark, Barnsley’s Matty Heppenstall and Grimethorpe’s Danny Hall.

Ahead of the Fight Academy show, promoter Dennis Hobson has warned Tommy Frank not to sleep on his challenger.

“Craig is one of those kids that if you take him lightly then you’ll come unstuck. It’s not an easy fight this and it’s not a given for Tommy. If you ask any fighter from this country to fight for a British Title, they’ll raise their game. Make no mistake, forget about his record, he will give Tommy Frank one hell of a fight.

“It’s going to be a cracker. You’d think that Tommy would have the pedigree to come out on top but I can promise you it won’t be one way traffic. Tommy is a consummate professional but if he leaves anything to chance, Craig Derbyshire will be a nightmare for him.

“Craig is coming off a great win, the best form of his career and if he can beat kids like Maphosa then he has the potential to beat anyone in Britain. Don’t forget he’s vastly experienced too and is still fresh.

“His team will be wanting to upset the odds absolutely and it’s a proper fight. Nobody should be misjudging Craig because of his record – he’s an English champion and and has just beaten a top-rated undefeated kid. This British Title opportunity will be like a world title fight for him.”

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