VIP Promotions returned to the North East on Saturday night with a show that saw the crowning of a new champion and the debut of a star amateur.

Hannah Robinson – a former member of Team GB and a two-time National champion – has been training under Jamie Moore at the VIP gym in Astley since last year and had initially been scheduled to make her debut before Christmas. A stress fracture to the spine and a couple of other less serious but niggling injuries meant that Robinson, 1-0, had to wait until last night before getting her professional career underway, but she got off to a winning start by outpointing Czechoslovakian welterweight, Johana Rochl, over six rounds at the Rainton Meadows Arena. 

Rochl, 1-2, came to fight but once the action settled down, Robinson’s punch picking and better technique enabled her to land the cleaner shots and take advantage of the gaps in the game but awkward southpaw’s style. It wasn’t pretty at times and Rochl had a real go in the final round but Robinson ended up with a 59-56 decision victory and a bloody nose as a souvenir of her debut.

Robinson is now 30 years old and will need to be moved smartly but her quality should enable her to make up for the lost time and she will hope to be fighting again soon.

Tommy Hodgson, 9-0, won his first professional title by outpointing Jordan Ellison, 15-53-3, to collect the Northern Area super lightweight belt. 

Ellison – who won the Northern Area title back in 2021 – took Kai Naylor’s unbeaten record in his last appearance but although he has always been much more talented than his record may suggest, he seemed to have slipped fully into the opponent role over the past couple of years. The 28-year-old missed weight by 3lbs at Friday’s weigh in but any concerns about his motivation were dispelled as he put in a determined performance.

Hodgson – nicknamed ‘Hitman’ – lacks real power but his aggression and combination punching kept him a step ahead throughout the fight and he really pressed home his advantage in the middle rounds as Ellison struggled to match his work rate. There was a moment of genuine concern in the ninth when Hodgson was hurt by a flush right hand but he remained aware enough to ward off Ellison’s attack and finished the stronger of the two after a frenetic final round.

Both men heard the final bell and the 27-year-old was awarded a 98-94 victory to send his sizable fanbase home happy.

With Dalton Smith and Adam Azim seemingly set to leave the British scene behind to chase world honours, there will soon be a vacuum at the top of the 140lbs division.

Commonwealth champion, Jack Rafferty, and the ever-improving Henry Turner are positioned ideally to fill that gap and while Hodgson is still a win or two away from joining that kind of company, he will likely set his sights on the English title next.