Last night, at the Macron Stadium in Bolton, Hughie Fury made a return to the ring.
Five months ago, 23-year-old Hughie made an unsuccessful attempt to claim the WBO world heavyweight title when he lost a points decision against the New Zealand fighter Joseph Parker, who has since lost his title to Anthony Joshua.
In Bolton, Hughie Fury was matched against Sam Sexton for the British heavyweight title. Sexton had won the title in his previous fight by beating the Scottish fighter, Gary Cornish, another boxer to have been beaten by Joshua.
In the Parker fight, Hughie Fury was criticised for not being aggressive enough, against Sexton that was far from being the case with Hughie controlling the fight by keeping his distance, using his jab and then hitting Sexton with heavy shots when the openings arrived.
Sexton was caught by big punches in the fourth round and took a visit to the canvas, the writing was clearly on the wall and the 33-year-old was to visit the canvas again in the fifth round, with the referee subsequently stopping the fight.
After the fight, and as reported by the BBC, Hughie had this to say to the media from ringside,
“This fight is dedicated to my dad.
“I was confident. My body has got so much stronger. I worked on my right hand over Christmas. It was a boxing masterclass.
“I dream to be a world champion. Whoever has got those belts – I’m coming. Although I lost to Parker, I’m coming. I’m ready to fight.”
It remains to be seen who Hughie Fury is matched with next but it’s fair to say he did look a lot sharper and displayed punching power that suggested he’s getting better with age.
Could Joe Joyce, the reigning Commonwealth heavyweight champion, be a viable option?
