Gym 01's Hoye: Pro debut win highlights my improvements
Elliot Hoye believes his victory over Mark Wade shows how much he has improved as a fighter.
The Gym 01 flyweight delivered an impressive second-round TKO win on his professional debut in the co-main event of Shock N Awe 27 at the Mountbatten Centre on Saturday.
Hoye, who hails from Brighton, took the first round before turning the screw in the second.
The 21-year-old landed a spinning elbow that cut Wade and then poured on the pressure to finish the contest.
Hoye’s success meant he avenged a defeat he suffered to his opponent during his amateur career.
He revealed it was a relief to clinch a maiden pro win and displays just how much he has progressed.
‘It was a nice feeling to get the win,’ said Hoye.
‘I was very confident going into it but it’s always a relief to get the job done.
‘I knew how much I’ve developed as a fighter so it’s nice to get some proof of it.
‘Going into it, I knew how much I had improved but I proved it to myself as well as everyone else.
‘I knew the finish was coming – it all came together perfectly.
‘It was a good fight and it was back and forth.
‘I won the first round – there was a lot of clinching.
‘He hurt me with a liver kick early on so it slowed the pace down.
‘I wasn’t in danger but it woke me up a little bit.
‘I realised we were in a fight and needed to be a bit more serious.
‘Midway through the round I started landing my shots and landed some big knees in the clinch.
‘When we came out in the second round, I realised I had the timing when we were striking.
‘I was picking him apart from range and then threw a spinning elbow which cut him.
‘Once I’d opened the cut I started targeting that and picked him off.
‘He shot in for a takedown but I defended it and worked the finish from there.’
Despite being the second-last fight on the stacked card, nerves never crept into Hoye’s mind.
And he’s already earmarked a date to swiftly get back into the cage.
‘I was pretty chilled out the whole day,’ Hoye added.
‘I was pretty confident and there was no need to be nervous – I had done what needed to be done.
‘I’ve had a couple of days off – my elbow was swollen from where I cut him open.
‘I was back in training yesterday, my next contest is Victory Fights in Brighton on June 9.’