Tommy Frank (@Supertommyfrank), undefeated at 6-0, is predicting a thriller ahead of his Central Area Title fight with local rival Craig Derbyshire on April 27 at the Ice Sheffield Arena.

The Sheffield super flyweight challenges Derbyshire as chief support to Liam Cameron’s Commonwealth Middleweight Title defence against Danny Butler, with the show broadcast live on free-to-air channel Freesports TV (Sky channel 424 and via Freeview/Youview on channel 95).

Although Derbyshire has lost 25 of his 33 contests, he has only been stopped three times, and Tommy believes the Doncaster slugger will put up huge resistance in an attempt to keep hold of his Central Area crown.

With opportunities in the lower weight classes usually coming around quicker, Tommy harks back to a time when fighters cleaned up domestically, and says he would like to eventually claim the Lonsdale Belt via the traditional route of winning the Area, English and then British title.

“Craig has been around and boxed some good kids,” explained the 24-year-old.  “He’s very tough, turns up to win, and won’t want to let this title go, so I’m taking him very seriously.  I think it’ll be a great fight to watch because he knows he’s going to have to pressure me, he won’t outbox me so he knows he has to knock me out, and that’s what I’ve trained for.  It will definitely be entertaining but I’ll be too sharp for him, and I’m looking forward to getting that belt around my waist.

“It would mean so much to win the Area belt.  It’s a real title, if you want to do things the old-fashioned way then you win the Area, English, British, European and so on.  I want to do it the old-fashioned way like Clinton Woods did.  This title would be the first step on the ladder, all my gym mates that I’ve looked up to, like John Fewkes, Sam Sheedy, Carl Wild, Jez Wilson have all done it, and it would mean a lot to join that club.

“I want this to be a good year.  I’ve had my learning fights and want to push on.  It’s a very exciting division at the minute.  If I pick the Central Area up then I want to get a few more rounds and will be looking for the English title.  At my weight, by the end of 2018 or the early part of next year, I want to be looking at the British title.  Titles are what I’m after.

“I’m really looking forward to the show, and to the Freesports coverage.  I’ve been on one of these televised shows before and it was a great atmosphere.  Dennis Hobson has done great working with Freesports and they do a really good job on the TV, so I’m looking forward to showing what I can do and getting my name out there; showing people exactly who Tommy Frank is.”

Dennis Hobson Promotions presents Liam Cameron defending his Commonwealth Middleweight Title against Bristol’s Danny Butler at the Ice Sheffield Arena (S9 5DA) on April 27.  Also appearing will be Doncaster’s Craig Derbyshire defending his Central Area Super Flyweight Title against Sheffield’s Tommy Frank.

Leeds hotshot Tom Young turned his back on a lucrative football career to achieve glory in the boxing ring and says he will get that when he wins Ultimate Boxxer.

As a teenager, the talented striker was on the books with Leeds United’s Academy and could have been looking at playing potentially in the top-flight.

But he also loved to fight and he made the decision to swap his football boots for boxing gloves and will now eye the top prize in Ultimate Boxxer 1 at the Manchester Arena on Friday, April 27.

Ultimate Boxxer I pairs eight undefeated and hungry welterweight fighters to go toe-to-toe in an exhilarating new elimination tournament - backed by ambassadors Ricky Hatton, Anthony Crolla and Paulie Malignaggi - to win a cash prize from a pool of £50,000 – and the chance to become boxing’s newest star.

The event offers fans more that just boxing with live entertainment acts and celebrities at ringside to give a transformed boxing experience for the next generation.

Young said, “Leeds United has been a very big part of my life,”

“I grew up around five minutes’ walk from Elland Road and started going there when I was just a kid,”

“Playing for Leeds was all I every wanted to do and with little else to do around here, football was always the dream.  Alan Smith was from Rothwell and was a big inspiration when I was growing up,”

“I was a striker and scored loads of goals. I used to score seven or eight goals in a game, regularly.  I would get the ball, take it round everyone and stick it in the net,”  

“The teams I played for always won the league and cups and I was playing for Guiseley when I was scouted by Leeds. I was only 14 at the time and thought it was going to be the rest of my life,”

“I was devastated when Leeds released me and I got a disheartened playing for smaller clubs and was never the same player again,”

“I had been playing football since I was eight years old and to be honest I got a bit bored of  it and felt I was going backwards,”

“I decided I needed a new career and a new challenge.  I got myself into a bit of trouble in a few street fights and thought I had better learn how to fight.”

As Young remembers it, he was far from a natural.

“I was so nervous before my first white-collar fight,” said the 24-year-old, “because I hadn’t been training for very long and I thought I wasn’t very good.”

Young was still good enough to win on his debut – and he kept on winning.

He won all seven white-collar fights before deciding to turn professional with Michael Marsden.

He’s now won all four professional fights – one inside the distance – and in his last fight he made a return to Elland Road to fight in the Centenary Pavilion where he defeated MJ Hall on points.

Young had to take a job as a binman when he turned pro to make ends meet, but he quit that to pursue his dream of becoming a champion and to commit to training full-time.  That hunger and desire, he believes, will take him to victory in Ultimate Boxxer.

“Ultimate Boxxer’ suits me down to the ground,”

“I love a good scrap and the fights are all three, three-minute rounds on the same night so I can go in there and really go for it,”

“I know the other lads in Ultimate Boxxer will all be hungry to win it, but I want to win this so much it hurts. I have to win it, I’m not going back to football or the bins, boxing is my life so I’m fighting for life,”

“Winning Ultimate Boxxer gives me a great chance to boost my career.  When I saw Ricky Hatton, Paulie Malignaggi and Anthony Crolla at the launch of Ultimate Boxxer it made me realise just how massive this is going to be,”

“I’ve only had four fights and didn’t expect to get into something so big so soon.  I thought I would be selling tickets to fight on small-hall shows for another year or two – and then Ultimate Boxxer came up,”

“Winning Ultimate Boxxer will give me opportunities that I would never get so early in my career. I can’t wait for it.”

It’s fair to say that Midlands Area Middleweight Champion Tyler Denny is excited for the future - his and that of BCB Promotions.

Undefeated Denny is BCB’s latest signing and will appear on the undercard of Tommy Langford’s British Middleweight Title fight against Jason Welborn at Walsall Town Hall on May 4th, sponsored by Alliance Scaffolding, Amphion Construction and Grosvenor Casino Walsall.

That fight will be Denny’s first since he beat Tom Stokes on points to capture the Midlands title on BCB’s “You Asked For It” show on September 30th.

And 26-year-old southpaw Denny is relishing getting back into the ring - which he anticipates will be a six-rounder on the undercard of Langford v Welborn - as well as being part of BCB’s plans for the West Midlands boxing scene and beyond.

“It’s exciting for the whole area and I’m glad to be a part of it,” Denny said about being part of the BCB stable.

“‘Excited’ is definitely the word. You only have to look at everything BCB are doing - there’s the Genting Arena show last month, British Title shows, IBO titles and it’s close to home.

“I don’t know what they’ve got in store for me past May 4th. I’ve just got to look after myself and I’ll fight whoever they put in front of me.

“When I fought my last fight, it was on a BCB show. I was really impressed with the set-up and it seemed really professional. I like what they’re doing and the show they had at Genting was big - I want to be part of that.

“I spoke to Paul Mann and their plan is to get a few more of them. It’s great to be part of something like that and now I’m going to be on the undercard of a British Title fight.”

Denny admits to some frustration that he has had to wait seven months between fights, but says he will be fit and ready come May 4th.

“I’ve still been training so it’s not been as bad,” Denny added.  “I’ve not been sat down, doing nothing.

“I’ve just done six rounds of sparring the other day with Sam Eggington and I can’t wait to get back in there.

“I’m still with Coops Gym so I’ve got the same trainers, but I will use the Wednesbury gym as well.  It’s the best of both worlds and it’s better for sparring.

“My coaches have been with me from day one and they advised me to go and speak to Errol Johnson and BCB.

“I wouldn’t have thought that my next fight would be under BCB or so far away. It’s been too long really but BCB have shows all over the place, so I’ll be active but hopefully I’ll have some big fights.

“I’ve got a good team all around me now.”

Tickets, for Langford versus Welborn, priced at £50 standard unreserved and £150 VIP Ringside, are on sale now from the Walsall Town Hall Box Office 0845 111 2900. The undercard features Denny, Doncaster Heavyweight and two-time Commonwealth Title Challenger, Dave Allen, Walsall featherweight, Rachel Ball, Swadlincote super welterweight, Ross Hollis, and Birmingham trio Kane Baker (super lightweight), Ijaz Ahmed (bantamweight) and Shaka Thompson (super middleweight).