It was a successful raid in Italy last night for Brighton heavyweight destroyer Tommy Welch who blasted through Jiri Svacina in one round to maintain his perfect unbeaten record.
Welch had been scheduled to face Petr Frolich, but he was withdrawn at the last minute and replaced with the experienced Svacina for the four-round bout in Fano, Marche, on the Adriatic coast.
Not phased by the change, concrete-fisted Welch heavily dropped Svacina four times in the opening round and the 61-fight Czech Republic veteran didn’t come out for the second, opting to sit on his stool.
The fast-rising talent is blitzing through all opponents put before him with his previous three going inside two rounds as they succumb to the 26-year-old’s big hitting power. It was the second back-to-back foreign assignment for Welch with his prior fight in Brussels in June against Gyorgy Kutasi ending in the second round.
Welch was pleased with his Italian job and felt he had overcome a number of situations presented to him before the fight which will hold him in good stead for the future.
“When I hit him flush with the first big shot in the first ten seconds of the opening round I knew that I had him,” Said Welch.
“From that point on Svacina knew that he was in with an animal and he wasn’t going to escape and I hurt him with every shot as hit the canvas four times. He sat on his stool after the first round and it was clear he didn’t want anymore,”
“He said to me afterwards ‘Man, you’re very strong and fast, these heavyweights are going to struggle with you’ which was good to hear as he’s very experienced and been in with a lot of people,”
“I felt I successfully dealt with what was presented to me out there, we were told the venue was indoor and it was outdoor. Actually, it gave the fight a gladiator feel with it being in Italy and my grandfather had he been alive, who is part Italian, would have been over the moon,”
“The last minute opponent change was another factor. Svacina was the original opponent, but we wanted someone heavier and went with Frolich, but then he was replaced with Svacina again. I was a little angry and that’s why the fight probably ended as quick as it did,”
“Also it was boiling hot and there were no changing rooms either. The Joker face mask went down a treat as well. Due to my performance I had the crowd behind me. It reminded me of the line in the movie Gladiator ‘win the crowd and you will win your freedom’ and that’s what I did,”
“If I can learn and deal now from all these different types of situations and pressures early in my career, I know that when I go to my opponent’s backyard in the future I can deal with it,”
Welch has a busy summer ahead with a further fight on August 29 in Brussels, Belgium, and then on Hennessy Sports’ show on Friday 10th September at the Coventry Skydome Arena, live on Channel 5.
For further information go to www.hennessysports.com or social media: Facebook @HennessySports, Twitter @HennessySports and Instagram @hennessysports
