Lim Jeka discusses Will Tomlinson training camp

 
IT almost goes without saying that there is a lot on the line for Will Tomlinson on Friday night.

 
However, when speaking to his head trainer Lim Jeka, you would never know it. Jeka oozes an overwhelming sense of level headiness and calm ahead of their career defining date at The Melbourne Pavilion.

 
For Jeka, 42, the task of sharpening the tools of Will Tomlinson (23-2-1, 13 KOs) has been an enjoyable one.

 
“Will is very easy to train. Actually, he’s been more than easy to train,” said Jeka in an interview with Aus-Boxing. “He probably trains too hard which is something we’ve been working on,”

 
“He’s just come back from the US, where the mentality is different. He was spending two or three hours in the gym every night, which really doesn’t work,”

 
“We train for what we fight, so we’ve brought him back, adjusted his mentality to train a bit smarter, not harder,”

 
“We still train hard, but it’s been getting him to focus on certain things. We’ve been bringing him down a lot more, getting him to sit on his punches,”

 
“Getting him back to what Will was before he went to the US. He looks sharp and he’s getting back to his style,”

 
Tomlinson will take on hard-nosed Filipino slugger Adones Aguelo (24-11-2, 16 KOs) in a ten round regional title fight, marking Tomlinson’s rebirth at lightweight following a career-long spell at super featherweight.

 
The fight will also mark Tomlinson’s debut under the guidance of Jeka. When probed on what to expect from his new charge, Jeka was calculated in his response.

 
“I think we’re going to see a smarter version of Will,” Jeka added. “I think you’ll see a version of Will that is more comfortable in his own skin.”

 
“I think his last fight – the Plan B wasn’t there – I think they tried to instill a few skills in Will that didn’t suit his style of fighting. I think we’ve stripped it right back to what suits Will.”

 
“We haven’t put too much boxing gymnastics in there and I think you’re going to see a more polished, more sharper, more confident and a better looking Will Tomlinson,”

 
Given that the fight will be televised live across Australia on Channel 9, Jeka understands the enormity of the event. But with that in mind, he is more than confident in Tomlinson’s ability to handle pressure.

 
“This fight is obviously a huge platform for him, to take another a world title,” Jeka continued. “This is to get him back in the world ratings, back in the top ten and work towards getting a lightweight world title,”

 
“You don’t come across too many athletes like Will Tomlinson. He’s obsessive about every single thing, he’s unbelievable when it comes to training,”

 
“With him, you’ve just got to slow him down,” said Jeka in closing. “His mindset has been good but it’s been hard for him,”

 
“We’ve had to adjust to my style of training but he’s taken it well. He’s much happier to be working out of home and he’s much fresher now too,”

 
“You’re going to see a much better Will Tomlinson.”

 
 
Photo: Jay Town