REDCAR boxer Tom Hill is celebrating winning his first title after being crowned Northern Area welterweight champion - and has been rewarded with a big fight in Canada.

Hill, who fights out of Redcar ABC, beat Tyneside’s Ewan Mackenzie by stoppage in the seventh of 10 scheduled rounds at Rainton Meadows Arena, in Houghton-le-Spring.

And he's now set to take on the unbeaten Josh Wagner in Toronto for the IBF international welterweight title next month.

It's been quite the year for the Teessider, who said: "I’d had almost two years out of the ring and then won a fight on a local show in April after which I got the call proposing the title bout. 

"I dominated the fight immediately and put him down with a right hand in the second round. He went down heavy but Ewan’s a tough lad and recovered well.

"In the seventh I landed a left hook to the body, and he turned his back and took a knee. He beat the count, but the referee stopped it when I followed up after the knockdown and he was hurt quite badly.

"Winning this belt is a step in the right direction and will push my ranking further up.

"Many boxers don’t want to take risks because they’re scared to lose. Not me. I want challenging fights. If I’m good enough, I’ll win. If not, I’ll lose but at least when I look back later I’ll have some great memories."

Hill fits boxing training around working full-time as a scaffolder and expressed gratitude to his fans and sponsors, including Ultimate Landscapes, Bumble Beez, Power Cleanse, Active Body Conditioning, Blueberry Nutrition, Telcos Ltd, DML Sports Therapy and Motif8.

Hill is always on the lookout for more sponsors to join his team as he looks to achieve his goal of becoming British champion.

Potential new sponsors can contact Hill via email at tomhill1995@gmail.com .

Those interested in boxing training at Hill’s RABC can contact the club via social media or on 07979 153201 or just turn up for a session.