Will Tomlinson recalls Zamudio win, talks Francisco Vargas

 
THE scenario was simple. Beat Miguel Zamudio to secure the biggest fight of his professional career.

 
A polished Will Tomlinson, 28, dished out a one-sided beating to Zamudio, 23, landing an eighth round technical knockout in a catchweight bout from the Del Mar Fairgrounds in San Diego, California.

 
Referee Tom Taylor called the fight with just under a minute remaining in the final round as Tomlinson (23-1-1, 13 KOs) closed the show in impressive fashion, flooring Zamudio (31-6-1, 18 KOs) with several unanswered combinations.

 
The win over Zamudio served as Tomlinson’s first on US television, with the fight being televised on Fox Sports boxing series Golden Boy Live.

 
“I felt I could’ve showed a lot more on the night, but I think it was a good introduction to the US television audience,” said Tomlinson in an exclusive interview with Aus-Boxing. “I broke him down, picked my shots and even with Zamudio using his head – more than what the referee should’ve allowed – I still fought my fight,”

 
“I’ve made some subtle changes in my style since I’ve been in the US and the things I’ve picked up in the gym are starting to be implemented when I fight,”

 
“My co-trainer Niko Robledo cornered me in this fight as my other trainer Manny Robles had his son fighting on the same night,” Tomlinson explained. “I like working with Niko, he gets me doing the things that I need to do when I fight, I sat down a lot more on my shots and I felt strong in there,”

 
Now back at home in the familiar surroundings in Melbourne, Tomlinson is now sitting by phone, waiting for confirmation for an inevitable bout with WBC/WBO #1 rated super featherweight Francisco Vargas (21-0, 15 KOs).

 
An assumed fight with Vargas, would without a doubt be the biggest of Tomlinson’s career. A former Olympian that is highly rated across all of the sanctioning bodies, a win over Vargas would put Tomlinson within reach of a world title shot in the next twelve months.

 
While Tomlinson is at times frustrated with the process, he understands that all of that will change if he does indeed land the fight with Vargas.

 
Given their mesh of styles, it appears likely that the fight will be signed for early next year, with the fight to be placed as the feature attraction on a lucrative Golden Boy card.

 
“The difficult part about this process is that boxing is such a huge business here, it’s literally a year round business, especially when you’re dealing with Golden Boy” Tomlinson added. “My job is to train and it’s my job to fight,”

 
“So in many ways, the move up to lightweight has helped as I have to stay fight ready and wait for the call,” Tomlinson continued.

 
“No fight is done until I’ve signed a contract, but I know from my discussions with Golden Boy that my next fight will be for all the marbles,”

 
“I’d like it to be Francisco Vargas as I know it’s an easy fight to make. We’re both signed to Golden Boy and my team have been flexible in negotiations to make sure this fight gets done,”

 
“A win over Vargas gets me to where I need to be, but I think I ended the year well enough for people to know that I’m ready for whoever gets offered to me,”

 
 
Photo: Paul Gallegos