The Sheffield-staged Tommy Frank v Luke Wilton fight could be a TV classic, says promoter

Sheffield promoter Dennis Hobson has warned that Tommy Frank faces a real threat from Luke Wilton as the pair prepare to contest the vacant Commonwealth Super Flyweight Title on Friday at Ponds Forge Arena.
Tommy Frank: check weightTommy Frank: check weight
Tommy Frank: check weight

With TV exposure coming via Freesports, Intake man Frank and Belfast’s Wilton will both be desperate to claim their first major title.

Frank, aged 25, may be the younger and far less experienced man heading into the contest but, unbeaten at 9-0 (1), has momentum behind him having decisively won a Commonwealth title eliminator in October last year against Tanzania’s Adam Yahaya.

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Wilton has 20 wins from 26 fights but will be buoyed knowing he has been in with far better company than Tommy, having previously boxed – though lost to – current WBC World Flyweight Champion Charlie Edwards, former IBF World Bantamweight king Lee Haskins, and former British Flyweight Champ Kevin Satchell.

Hobson has an exclusive deal with Freesports and says he has served up some memorable matches already on the free-to-air channel including Liam Cameron’s demolition of Sam Sheedy in their Commonwealth Middleweight Title fight, Josh Wale’s British Bantamweight Title stoppage win over Bobby Jenkinson, and Jason Cunningham’s Central Area Super Bantamweight win over Paul Economides.  Hobson is convinced that Frank versus Wilton will also be another TV spectacular.

“This is a potential banana skin fight on paper, and I don’t think you can say Tommy is a firm favourite,” said Hobson.  “It’s more or less a 50-50.  But we believe he can go on to higher levels.  The Commonwealth is a big title that can get you onto the world scene, but he would have to consolidate at that level, and he’s got a big test in Luke first.  It’s a big ask but if we didn’t think he could make that step, we wouldn’t put him in.  Don’t forget Luke has just fallen short against the likes of current world champion, Charlie Edwards.  So, he has quality and unless Tommy is the fighter we think he is, he will struggle.

“This will absolutely be a great TV fight for Freesports.  It’s a great match up and we’ve delivered again.  I’ll be extremely surprised if this doesn’t live up to all expectations. It’s a smashing fight, it’s free to view, and it’s there to challenge anything else you’ll be seeing on television.  The last Sky TV show also featured a Commonwealth Title fight, and I think this fight is as good as what they’re putting on.”

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“I’m very excited ahead of this show,” said Steve Crump, Hobson’s boxing partner. “We’ve got a couple of new fighters coming through on the undercard, and I’m looking forward to seeing how they perform and what they can offer in the future.  I’m also really excited about the Tommy Frank fight and very confident he will become the new Commonwealth champion.

“It’s a tough fight for Tommy, we all know that.  We believe he can show his mettle though and come through, which is obviously the next step up for him.  His opponent has a good pedigree but hopefully Tommy can make a statement by showing he can mix with these more experienced fighters, and deliver a win.”