Wildfighter Rnd 3 is on the horizon and ‘Wild’ Will Tomlinson is ready to ring the bell.

Bairnsdale Aquatic and Recreation Centre will host its first professional boxing card since Tomlinson – a former super featherweight world champion – fought on home turf in 2011.

Returning to the venue where he defeated Filipino Uthit Punsen by TKO, Tomlinson is now bringing the production of his boxing promotion – Wildfighter – to his hometown and couldn’ t be happier with how ticket sales are progressing for a fight card packed with local talent, including Commonwealth Games silver medalist, Jason Whateley, and rising star, Blake Wells.

“Tickets are selling really well – we’ve cracked the 1000 mark, all the boys are putting the work in and getting ready – all is good,” Tomlinson said while in town promoting the event last week.

“I’m crossing all my T’s, dotting my I’s, pushing the marketing and making sure we crack 1500, that’s my goal. We’ve had about 1000 at the Timber Yard in Melbourne. We still have two and half weeks to go, so hopefully we get a last-minute rush.

“A lot of the tickets sold are local, obviously a lot of people want to see the local boys fight. I’m very hopeful people from Lakes Entrance, Stratford, Sale will pick up a ticket in the next couple of weeks.”

Tomlinson is eager to push Wildfighter into the main stream of Australian boxing while building a natural sporting culture.

In a competitive market, Tomlinson said an online presence is key and the use of social media and a webpage are essential.

“We want people to be aware of the event and to sell tickets we have to be in every space,” he said.

“All ticketing goes through the website, everything anyone needs to know is there. If you want a last-minute ticket, that’ s where you’ll find it.”

Tomlinson said his first venture into the regional scene has been seamless and expects to showcase Bairnsdale as he has done with the first two Wildfighter events at the Timber Yard in Melbourne.

“I’ve been working quite closely with the council and we’ve made sure everything is on track,” Tomlinson said.

“We’ve just got to make sure tickets keep selling and we have a big night out, which I think we will.

“We want to make sure we put on a good show for everyone, hopefully the fighters put on a good show and everyone has a good time and they all want to come back.

“The vibe we’re putting out there through our marketing and the event itself attracts a different audience, a bit more of a fun, fan-friendly environment, basically for the casual sporting fan who wants a good night out, that’s who we’re trying to attract.

“The lighting, the music if people want an idea they can look back on the first two events. I’m going to deliver the same quality show we do in Melbourne back here.

“I’m excited that everybody is excited about the event, makes me believe it’s worth my time bringing it back here, that’s reflective in the tickets sold and the support we’ve been shown.”

The event will be broadcast live on Facebook via the Aus-Boxing page and will be shown on Fox Sports on delay.

Whateley, who will headline the card, will face Lance Bryant for the Australiasian cruiserweight title, while Wells, in the co-main event, will meet Mark Smith for the Victorian super middleweight belt.

Also on the card are locals Bayden Ashwood, Max Reeves, Roy Siania, Daniel Harrison and Kade Alexander.

Former Western Bulldogs AFL premiership player, Clay Smith, has had to withdraw from the card and will be replaced by fellow local, Pete Jenner.

Also on the card is exciting Ballarat-based slugger, Victor Nagbe.

“Victor is very, very exciting, a very talented dude, he’s super keen to fighter Daniel Lewis (Australian super middleweight who is signed with high profile American promotion, Top Rank), which I’m trying to make part of my December show back in Melbourne,” Tomlinson said.

“I talk to Jason and his trainer regularly. Jason is a hard worker, he’s always in the gym, always training. He’s in Melbourne so he gets a number of varieties of sparring partners, which is key.

“Blake, from everything I’m hearing, is putting in the work. He’s got to get down to 76 kilos, so he doesn’t really have much of a choice but to get working, because if he doesn’t the Victorian title fight doesn’t happen.

“They’ll both definitely have their work cut out for them, so they have to put the work in or they will get found out.

“All the boys like Bayden, Max, Kade, they are all really committing to the cause and putting in the work, doing everything right, sparring six to eight rounds no worries.”

PICTURED: Wildfighter Rnd 3 promoter, ‘Wild’ Will Tomlinson, is eager to push Wildfighter into the main stream of Australian boxing while building a natural sporting culture. (PS)