“Diamond” Matt Hill won?t ever give up ? even if his record says otherwise.
A Reisterstown-native and professional fighter since 1998, Hill has shared plenty of highs and lows in his lengthy boxing career. Sporting a career record of 8-31-2, the veteran of more than 40 professional fights keeps pushing on, looking to reach his ultimate goal of wearing a championship belt.
Dreams that Hill insists, he will never give up chasing.
“I want to go for one belt,” said Hill, a 38-year old light-middleweight said. “I just want to win that title to get something around my waste.”
What makes Hill such a special and unique fighter isn?t so much what he does in the ring, as out of it. He never curses, drinks or lashes out. Always a class-act with a flair for style, Hill loves to put on a show for the crowd, entering in the ring in such outfits as a leather coat and floppy hat, all while enticing the fans, before getting down to business.
Traveling ? and fighting ? across America, Hill has fought in 10 states, including Caesar?s Palace in Las Vegas. Through these travels, he has developed contacts and relationshipswith hundreds of people who call themselves his friends.
However, those days of climbing into the ring may be numbered.
“I love the guy to death, but he?s getting abused and age is catching up,” said Hill?s longtime friend and trainer Jake “The Snake” Smith. “He?s one of my favorite fighters and it hurts me to death [to see him like this].”
Hill?s latest setback came Friday night, Hill when he suffered a first-round technical knockout by Jaime Morales (4-3, 2 knockouts), a fighter from Philadelphia at the Du Burns Arena in Baltimore. After the fight, Hill ?who was pinned against the ropes and unable to dodge a flurry of punches when the match was called ? took the loss in stride.
Obviously upset at the loss, he remained up-beat about the upcoming Maryland State Championships, where a fighter has a chance to claim a crown if he can get hot for a few fights. And with the support from friends and fans behind him, Hill refuses to throw in the towel.
“I hate giving up and I want to keep going until I have done something,” he said. “I want to show them I?m not washed up.”
