Will Tomlinson responds to series of recent call-outs

 
IF the past month is anything to go by, Will Tomlinson is the flavour of the month.

 
The former IBO super featherweight champion – who is now campaigning as a fully fledged lightweight – has been called out by half a dozen Australian rivals in the past month.

 
Tomlinson, 29, had a highly publicised altercation with long feuding rival Billy Dib last month and in the weeks that have passed, several others have thrown their names into the hat to face Tomlinson (24-2-1, 13 KOs).

 
In recent weeks those names have included world rated super featherweight Corey McConnell, former amateur foe Josh King as well as brash youngster George Kambosos and Australian lightweight champion Darragh Foley.

 
When queried about the unique situation he currently finds himself in, Tomlinson spoke candidly about the seemingly endless line of challengers.

 
“From memory, I’ve had Josh King, Corey McConnell, Billy Dib, George Kambosos, Darragh Foley and some other kid from Billy Hussein’s stable who all want to fight me,” he said. “All this has happened in the last month or so,”

 
“Once upon a time, I was in the same boat. It can be frustrating for these fighters when there doesn’t appear to be many big money fights in the pipeline. These things take time to build and that’s what they need to realise,”

 
“But I can understand the situation these young up and comers are in,”

 
Despite having fought his last fight in Melbourne – a decision win over battle tested veteran Adones Aguelo – Tomlinson is the first to admit that he has a contractual obligation that he needs to fulfil in the immediate future.

 
“To be honest, with all these people calling me out, it seems like they’ve forgotten that I’m still signed to Golden Boy Promotions. It’s a legally binding contract and I’m still a Golden Boy fighter,”

 
“For me, it comes down to a few things,” acknowledged Tomlinson. “I worked hard to put myself in a position where I aligned with a major promoter and earned some pretty lucrative paydays,”

 
“I was lucky enough to be picked up by Fidel Tukel when I first turned professional and the opportunities that I was given wouldn’t have be given to most fighters. I know that without Fidel, I would’ve missed out on a lot,”

 
“Fidel paved the way for those opportunities to be made and because of the investment he put into my career, I was able to get the fights that I needed to get to progress my career,”

 
“It doesn’t happen overnight and while I understand that these guys are eager to make a fight, there are certain prerequisites that need to be met on my end,”

 
With the lightweight division domestically in a very healthy state, Tomlinson understands that in many ways there is a target on his back. But as long as he is paid accordingly, the Melburnian is more than happy to oblige.

 
“I know what my brand is worth and I’m not selling myself short for the sake of a good local domestic fight,” Tomlinson concluded.

 
“If my terms can be met, I’m happy to fight all these guys. Line them up and I’ll happily go back-to-back,”

 
 
Photo: Marty Camilleri/Marty’s Knockout Photography