Tech junior Tyler “Hercules” Howard squared off with Tim Hill in last night’s main event fight at “Throwdown Thursday” in Tech’s Hyder-Burks Agricultural Pavilion. Howard won by a unanimous decision after six rounds of hard-fought leather swapping.
Although the fight lasted longer than Howard may have wanted, he said after the fight that he was prepared for a lengthy bout.
“I definitely went in there with the mentality that I was going to fight six rounds. I always go in there with that mentality,” said Howard. “I thought in my head if I caught him clean, it was going to knock him out because usually it does. Some guys just have a good chin — they can take a good shot, and he could. All the props to him.”
The match remained close until the very end. Coming out swinging in every round, Hill gave the local, up-and-coming prospect a bit of a scare. Hill opened the second round with a quick, bunch-punch technique that cornered Howard into an even quicker defense. The Tech student remained patient, however, as he got the better of his opponent in the end.
"After he threw those flurries, you could see that he got tired,” said Howard. “I just thought to myself, ‘Just catch everything, roll with it and don’t get caught with anything stupid.’ If he’s only hot for the first 20 seconds, I still have two minutes and 40 seconds to win the round.”
Hill continued to deliver several shots late in the fight including a few uppercuts. Howard was bent, but not broken, as he finished the “throwdown” with his hand raised in victory.
The match was tallied by Judge David Hudson as a close 59-55 finish.
Howard says he will begin training for his next fight, an ESPN 2 showdown in Vegas, if he and Prize Fight Boxing promoter Brian Young can get the bid. In the meantime, Howard will trade hits to opponents to his textbooks as he prepares for finals at Tech.
