Tony Hill takes a landmark step in his career this Saturday as professional boxing returns to Winchester for the first time in more than 30 years, writes ADAM LEITCH.

The Southampton fighter will make his first foray into the world of a super middleweight at the top of a bill of the best local fighters at Winchester Guildhall.

Hill has had a glittering amateur career and fought for the Commonwealth title at middleweight, but he and his trainer, Wayne Batten, have taken the decision to move him up a division.

Depending on how it works out, he will either stay there or possibly even step up again to light heavyweight.

Hill is straight in at the deep end as the biggest name on the historic Winchester card takes on an eight- round contest.

Batten said: “He’s been looking good. He has had some good sparring with Chris Eubank Jnr and has looked comfortable at the weight.

“We want to keep him as active as possible and I already have half an eye on fights with the likes of Smith and Dodson at super middleweight for British titles.

“We are just looking to find the right mixture with the weight for Tony – because he’s such a big lad he can carry the weight so moving up was never a problem, it was just a matter of which one is really going to suit him over the championship distance.

“He could even make light heavyweight and not be out of place at championship level.

“It’s been finding the one that suits him and he is really comfortable at.

“He’s sparred Nathan Cleverly, a world champion at light heavyweight, and Mikkel Kessler, a former world champion at super middleweight, and not looked out of place with the weight so there are options there, we just need to get it right.”

The return of professional boxing to Winchester has been much anticipated and there has thus far been a good response from the local fight fans, whose demands to have a show in the area led to the card being put together in the first place.

As well as Hill, top local pros such as Joe Pigford, Darryl Still, Alex Dilmaghani, Tommy Watson and debutante Wade Armour will all be in action. The organisers are now hoping that the remaining tickets will be snapped up.

“It’s nice to know the Winchester public are behind it. There has been great support and a lot of interest,” said Batten.

“I’ve had a lot of calls from people about tickets and that’s satisfying as it proves going to another area was the right thing to do.

“We were being asked so much about whether a professional show could be put on in Winchester and now we are just days away from that happening for the first time in over 30 years.

“If this one is a success then we could even consider another show, perhaps a dinner show, in Winchester before the end of the year, but we need to see what the response is like on Saturday night.”

Doors open at 6pm with the first fight at 7pm. The last tickets are available on 07980 688612.