Rather than celebrating St. Patrick’s Day at home in Cork, Ireland, undefeated super middleweight prospect Tommy “The Governor” Hyde (7-0, 4 KOs) will instead be fighting 5,000 miles away, outside of San Francisco (CA) in Redwood City for his first title as a professional.
Hyde, 24, is matched against fellow Irishman Craig “BTL” McCarthy (10-1-1, 2 KOs), the reigning Boxing Union of Ireland Celtic super middleweight champion, in an eight-round bout for the vacant Celtic Nation Championship on a card presented by Westwood Promotions.
Now training in Santa Monica (CA), under the direction of head trainer Pedro Nemes, Hyde was selected as the 2023 Irish Prospect of the Year.
“I’m delighted to be fighting in San Francisco,” Hyde said, “especially on St. Patrick’s Weekend. “There are a lot of Irish living there, so it’s great to be giving them an all-Irish fight on such a big weekend. I fought in San Francisco as an amateur and I plan on fighting there more as a professional. This is a great opportunity for me to show the Irish what I’m about.”
A celebrated Irish amateur boxer, Hyde participated in more than 100 amateur matches, reached the quarterfinals of the prestigious World Junior Championships in 2015, in addition to capturing three Irish National Championships, three Celtic Cup titles and the 2019 Haringey Box Cup.
Hyde made his pro debut on December 1, 2022 in a scheduled six-round bout against Jiri Kroda, who was stopped in the third round of their fight in the United States, at The District in Sioux Falls, South. In his first full year of prizefighting, Hyde was placed on an accelerated route by his father and international matchmaker, Gary Hyde. As a pro, Tommy has also fought three times in Greater Boston, twice at home in Cork, and once in Waterford, Ireland.
“I’m really excited that Tommy will finally be fighting in San Francisco and on the best weekend of the year, St. Paddy’s Day,” Gary commented. “The Irish will come out in great numbers to support this all-Irish clash.
“We are planning to have five or six fights this year and keep improving Tommy’s ranking. These fights will be split between the United States and Ireland. Tommy has proven to be a huge draw wherever he fights.”
Irish eyes will be smiling’ in San Francisco for Tommy Hyde.
