Gym 01's Hoye: Pro debut win highlights my improvements

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.’