Todd: ‘I am living the dream as pro fighter’

Todd Tompkins…out next month at the Holiday Inn, Birmingham Airport

MANY fighters give back to the community that follows them, not many give as much as Todd Tompkins.

The no-frills southpaw truly grafts to make his town – Rushden, Northamptonshire - a better place for future generations.

He visits schools, stages anti-knife workshops and the 28-year-old’s Titan gym has become a community hub. Todd recently staged a boxing show for children who attend the centre, an event attended by over 300 people. “It was absolutely awesome,” he said.

As reward for that tireless community spirit, I hope Tompkins achieves his dream of fighting closer to home than Birmingham, Coventry and Cannock where his first three winning fights took place.

But Rushden is, as yet, not a fight town, although Tompkins is striving to make it one. Therefore, Todd has to box on the road and his next assignment – his first at middleweight having slimmed down from light-heavy – takes place on manager Jon Pegg’s show at the Holiday Inn, Birmingham Airport, on June 14.

Tompkins, who turned over after a very brief amateur career with Kettering ABC, is better than I expected. He’s rugged and has tightened defensively through sparring sessions at Eastside gym, Birmingham.

“The sparring has been fantastic,” Todd said. “I’ve had a really good camp, I’m buzzing. I’m sparring really good, I believe I’ve developed so much in one year by coming to Jon’s (Jon Pegg’s) gym. It has toughened me up, it’s sink or swim. I feel confident, I’ve developed, I feel I have punch power.”

I like the individual. He’s free from boasts and big-mouth predictions – he’s simply enjoying the journey.

It is way too early to assess what Tompkins can achieve. In fairness to Todd, he refuses to predict what the future will hold.

I would’ve known more about Tompkins’ potential had his fight with rugged Lewis Howells, a former Welsh international who has mixed in good class, gone ahead in February as scheduled.

But Tomkins was forced to pull out with a suspected blood clot on the leg, social media pictures showing the dramatic lump.

After a battery of test, medics concluded his hamstring had become so tight through training, a vessel simply bulged.

“It was mental,” he said, “but I’ve learned from it. I’ve learned rest and recovery is just as important as the hours spent in the gym.”

“What I’m doing is a dream come true,” he told me. “Everything has worked out better than I ever expected it to. I have to put it down to having a really good fanbase.”

And Tompkins is well aware of his position as a role model to the youngsters who pass through his gym’s doors.

“It’s my opportunity to put my stamp on it by being an example,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to tell people to do something I hadn’t done myself. I’ll stand by what I’ve said, I don’t want to be a dreamer – it is fight by fight and see how I get on, that’s all I can go off. I don’t want to say something I can’t realistically achieve.

“I’ve put my heart and soul into this. As long as my head is still learning, I’ll keep pushing and progressing.”

That progression will, hopefully, be showcased on June 14.