Tommy Fletcher completed a KO-hatrick at The O2 in November with a howitzer of an uppercut and with it he believes he delivered a message that the rhetoric is real.
The strapping cruiserweight, who goes by the name of the ‘Norfolk Nightmare’ took just 139 to poleaxe Jiri Krejci with a devastating left hand manoeuvre that the Czech was never going to recover from.
The 20-year-old’s trainer Mark Tibbs has long preached the bludgeoning power possessed by the 6ft 7″ prospect and Fletcher now suspects he is beginning to justify his journey on the hype train.
“Mark has said before many times that I have got proper punch power,” reflected the 3-0 Fletcher, who next features on the undercard of the blockbuster Artur Beterbiev-Anthony Yarde unified world light heavyweight title card at the OVO Arena, Wembley on January 28, live on BT Sport.
“It is not hype, it is real and when people see statements like that they want to see proof of it. They won’t take anyone’s word for anything and I think I really showcased what I am about in that fight.
“That uppercut is just another shot in my toolbox, to be honest. I wouldn’t say it is this devastating punch that I’ve been drilling.
“It was just clean, straight on the chin and put him straight over. I’ve got many more shots than that, which I feel I am strong at.
“At the end of the day, I feel that if I hit someone clean on the chin – whether it is a jab, backhand, left hook or whatever – I think they will be knocked out and that is my opinion on it.”
Rewind a couple of months to his second pro fight in Manchester and Fletcher was not quite so glowing in his assessment of his performance against Toni Visic.
However, Fletcher was the float on the night and went through the experience of playing the waiting game, switching his fight face on and off until finally getting the call following the main event.
“On my second fight I was a float and was having my gloves put on and then off. I didn’t get on until about 12.30am so it was a very long time to wait.
“I think it maybe impacted my performance a little bit, but I still got a stoppage with a fourth round knockout.
“For the fight I just had, I got off the bus, straight into the changing rooms, kit on and ready to roll. I had more energy, I wasn’t waiting about and was straight in there with a good support.
“I was on TV too, which adds to the spectacle of getting in there.
“I made a statement with a first round knockout and that is what I am about. People want to see knockouts and I think I am the man to tune in to watch.”
So make sure to tune in to BT Sport on January 28.
Artur Beterbiev v Anthony Yarde for the WBC, WBO and IBF world light heavyweight titles takes place at the OVO Arena, Wembley on January 28, live on BT Sport. The bumper card also features the WBA world flyweight title fight between unbeaten fighters Artem Dalakian v David Jiminez.
Willy Hutchinson and Karol Itauma fight for the WBO Intercontinental and WBC International light heavyweight titles respectively, with the show also featuring top prospects Charles Frankham, Umar Khan, Sean Noakes, Joshua Frankham, Khalid Ali and Masood Abdulah.
The show also features the highly-anticipated professional debut of World Youth Champion Moses Itama.
Tickets for Beterbiev vs Yarde are priced from £50 and are available from AXS.com and Ticketmaster.co.uk.
