Irish super middleweight prospect Tommy “The Governor” Hyde, seven of whose 10 professional fights have been in the U.S., takes his knockout power to Melbourne, Australia, this Saturday for an eight-rounder with Tanzania’s Anuary Mlawa. Presented by Sam LaBruna, the bout at The Melbourne Pavilion will be streamed live globally on http://streems.com.au/.
In Mlawa, the towering Hyde, who stands at 6-feet-4 inches, faces a southpaw [8-2, 4 KOs], who at 26 is one year older than him.
Prior to flying from his Cork hometown to Australia, the undefeated Hyde [10-0, 7 KOs] had racked up 47,064 round trip miles fighting in the U.S. That has included three scraps in the Greater Boston area, in addition to contests at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut; Redwood City, California; and Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
There have also been multiple training camps States-side and in the UK, earning Hyde a growing rep as the Irish Road Warrior
Why fight halfway around the world in Australia?
“I have a lot of friends living in Australia and we knew there was a huge Irish population,” said Hyde. “So, we decided to get a fight and build a fan base there. As an amateur, I boxed all over the world in places like South Africa, Canada, America, and Russia, to name a few, but I never got an opportunity to fight in Australia. I’m very excited.”
“I love to travel, and I love to fight, so to be able to do both in one trip is like hitting two birds with one stone. I’m getting so much valuable experience fighting all over the world and when I’m stepping up to the world stage, I think that will put me in good stead.”
Tommy’s father/manager, Gary Hyde, believes his son’s experiences fighting around the world will pay off in the not-too-distant future.
“I believe fighting away from home will stand to Tommy when he fights in bigger fights,” said Gary. “He is no stranger to the big shows as he has attended massive shows since he was nine years old. The brighter the lights, the better he will perform. He doesn’t fight with the added advantage of being in the home corner, which will also benefit him when he is in big fights.”
Hyde had more than 100 amateur fights. He was a nine-time National finalist, reached the quarterfinals of the World Junior Championships in 2015, won the 2019 Haringey Box Cup, and is a three-time Celtic Box Cup gold medalist.
EGAN’S QUEST
At New York’s Madison Square Garden this Thursday, Timmy Egan bids to become the next Irish amateur to win an MSG Boxing Ring Masters title when he takes on Yonali Sanchez of Mendez BC in the 165-pound novice final.
Egan, who’s 30, is representing Roscommon native Donal Ward’s BUA Boxing Gym based in Astoria, Queens. A Gaelic footballer for O’Donovan Rossa and midfielder for the New York Shamrocks, Egan defeated four opponents in five weeks to advance to the final in the highly competitive division that had 31 entrants.
It will be the third-year running that an Irish fighter will be bidding for the Ring Masters middleweight novice championship. Sean O’Bradaigh won it in 2023 while Hugh McNulty was the losing finalist last year.
“I’ve always wanted to fight in Madison Square Garden, you know. Now I'm gonna get to do it in front of like a lot of my friends and family,” said Egan, a 5-feet-11 southpaw.
