‘Del Boy’ Hillman Fetches It in Last-minute Tolworth Six-Rounder

‘Del Boy’ Hillman Fetches It in Last-minute Tolworth Six-Rounder

By Garry White

“Big respect for Ricky [Leach] for stepping up and making sure we still had a show,” comments an appreciative Martin Hillman, on his Chatham-based opponent taking their Black Box-promoted fight at barely 48 hours’ notice.

Hillman had been due to step in with former Indian bantamweight champion, Sandeep Kumar. Their ten-round international contest was slated to be the chief support bout to Ahmed Hatim [W10] versus Aaron Prospere for the vacant Southern Area lightweight belt. Furthermore, it presented an excellent opportunity for the Orpington-based fighter to propel himself up the Commonwealth rankings towards a shot at one of their newly minted Silver belts, something his team has been lobbying hard for.

The late cancellation of the contest left Hillman desperately scrabbling around social media, posting videos in search of an opponent. In what is perhaps a despairingly rare example of the positive impacts of social media, old amateur foe Ricky Leach, also the victim of a late ‘cry-off’ saw it, responded, and a relieved Hillman was suddenly back in the game. 

However, subject to him “drinking loads of water” and getting his weight up to 130 lbs and Leach doing all he could to get down to 135 by weigh-in to satisfy the Board’s weight-tolerance requirements – such is the life of a small hall fighter!

The fact that the pair had fought twice previously, including in the unpaid ranks, and were tied at a win apiece, also gave their contest a little added hook as well. Boxing always loves a trilogy.

On fight night, Leach, competing in his 85th pro contest, turned up and gave it a go in true old-school, ‘Road-Warrior’ style. “He made me work every minute of every round. Fair play to him,” says Hillman of his opponents’ contribution to their six-rounder at London’s Tolworth Recreation Centre. “But I think my jab was better. I definitely out-landed and outscored him overall.”

The referee agreed, handing Hillman, who is known for his fitness and indefatigable engine, a 59-55 victory on his scorecard. “I don’t really see where I lost a round,” says the ever-affable 34-year-old of the solitary point that got away. “But I’m just happy to get the win and to think that it was a decent fight to watch.” These are sentiments that no doubt the healthy crowd at ringside would wholly concur with. 

They are also likely to still be wearing broad smiles from the reigning UBO Inter-continental bantamweight champions’ unconventional ring walk. In a larger-than-life entrance, Hillman bounded out to the unmistakable sounds of the ‘Only Fools and Horses’ soundtrack, complete with Del Boy’s flat cap, sheep-skinned coat, and briefcase. As far as entrances go, it got the attention of the paying public and has since successfully done the rounds on social media, too. 

“Well, I’d done the Grim Reaper last time, and it went down really well,” reveals Hillman of his earlier Halloween visit to Tolworth, where he rhythmically swung a plastic scythe to the unmistakable tolling bell soundtrack favoured by the WWE’s Undertaker. “You know, the people who are good enough to come and support me are a wide range of ages. But no matter how old you are, everyone loves that programme. It had to be a ‘winner’! Nobody had any clue I was going to do it.

“But it’s just a gimmick to hopefully sell a few more tickets. There’s always a lot of pressure when it comes to that, so you’ve got to try a few different things to create a bit more interest.” That closing comment and Hillman’s earlier last-minute search for an opponent shine a vivid light on the challenges that routinely face boxers at his end of the boxing pyramid. One that in reality is only tethered by the loosest thread to the mega-money that was sportswashing its way through Riyadh at the weekend. The money might not be there but there is honour in Hillman’s work and his continued struggle to wring every last drop from a pro-career that commenced in 2013 and has seen him challenge for a Southern Area title at four different and mostly disadvantageous weights.

“I just want to be active and to get more opportunities,” he says, in perhaps a further nod to that age-old small hall challenge of getting on shows and selling tickets. “It really needs to be the ten rounds route now. You know, the chance to fight for a title or at least an eliminator. Hopefully, another shot at an Area belt or a Commonwealth Silver one [a title that positions the winner with a shot at the full Commonwealth belt]. I’ll be meeting with my manager this weekend to discuss a plan for the rest of the year. But I won’t be taking a long break. Ideally, I’ll be back out in May or June.”

Hillman intends that the next fight will mark his twentieth victory as a professional. Hence the special emphasis on competing for a title next time out. “Yeah, to win a belt at the same time as achieving that milestone would mean a lot,” he says.

But for now, he still holds the UBO Intercontinental title that he most recently defended on an incredible night in Accra, Ghana. Fighting at the famed Bukom Boxing Arena amidst the shadows of the likes of Azumah Nelson and Ike Quartey, he endured the drama of a mid-fight power cut to win a unanimous decision over Tanzanian puncher Baraka Mchongi. “To be honest, that fight in Ghana has been the best thing I’ve ever done in boxing,” he reveals.

“No one’s come forward to challenge for the UBO since. They’ve left me as the champ for the minute with no requirement for a mandatory defence or anything like that. The UBO has been really good and fair to work with. But I suppose somebody will put in for it at some point?”

And if they do, would the Orpington fighter consider another 4,800-mile trek to Ghana? “Yeah, you bet. I’ve no problem going anywhere to defend or for the chance of more titles,” he says without hesitation. The eagerness with which Hillman responds provides further testament to his hard work and focus both inside and outside of the ring. His continued passion for a sport that can frustrate and disappoint its participants far more frequently than it rewards them is wholly infectious.  

Spend more than ten minutes in his company, and it is impossible not to root for him. There is another form of victory in that… but it doesn’t come with a belt.