THE final time Maxi Hughes fought in America he left dissatisfied and stated that three judges “broke his coronary heart”. But the excellent news is {that a} damaged coronary heart isn’t sufficient to cease the Rossington light-weight returning on Saturday night time (March 16), this time to face the unbeaten William Zepeda.
Having agreed to return, Hughes will in fact consider he has unfinished enterprise and will probably be hoping to repair all that broke him first time round. He’s additionally of the assumption that the alternatives that ought to have been his have as an alternative gone to George Kambosos, the Australian whom two ringside judges determined had crushed Hughes in July.
Since that night time in Shawnee, Hughes has been made to attend, wishing for however not anticipating a rematch with Kambosos. Kambosos, in the meantime, is now preparing for a battle in Could which is able to happen in Australia, his dwelling nation, and see him battle Vasiliy Lomachenko for the vacant IBF light-weight belt.
That’s precisely the sort of alternative Hughes, 26-6-2 (5), would have preferred – and can really feel he deserved. As an alternative, reasonably than combating a legend of the game in his dwelling nation, Hughes has been compelled to go down a distinct route – a more durable, much less glamorous route – and can, if only for motivation, have to remind himself that that is, for him, not a path unfamiliar.
Certainly, a battle like this one, in opposition to Zepeda in Las Vegas, is the kind of underdog-on-away-ground situation to which Hughes has grown accustomed through the years. Even the placement, The Cosmopolitan, is probably not the placement which instantly springs to thoughts when one thinks of a battle in Las Vegas, and nor will this battle, pretty much as good as it’s, ship Hughes the fanfare he would have anticipated following 12 profitable rounds within the firm of Kambosos.
Somewhat than that, Hughes is again to sq. one in some ways; which means he should beat Zepeda to then land the massive battle he has for therefore lengthy craved. This doesn’t make the Zepeda battle any much less attention-grabbing or difficult, thoughts you. The truth is, from Hughes’ perspective, it will be clever to do not forget that even a battle like this, in opposition to an unbeaten rising star in Las Vegas, is a world away from dropping in opposition to Liam Walsh at York Corridor. That Hughes has managed to succeed in this level, successful seven of eight fights since that Walsh loss, is an actual testomony to his dedication and enchancment. Furthermore, the actual fact he nonetheless desires extra will be thought-about a testomony to his newfound ambition and drive.
As for Zepeda, Hughes will encounter an opponent whose file, statistically, makes for scary studying. At 29-0, with 25 knockouts, Zepeda carries a fame for energy and a southpaw stance which solely serves to make this energy all of the sneakier and extra distinctive. He has additionally stepped up at school in latest instances and is now combating within the US versus Mexico, his dwelling nation; including to his record of victims males like Mercito Gesta (KO 6) and Joseph Diaz (W UD). To point out comparable dominance in opposition to somebody like Hughes, a person famend for his sturdiness and defensive smarts, could be fairly the assertion, however it’s little question a press release Zepeda, from San Mateo Atenco, will probably be desperate to make.
Hughes, a fellow southpaw, will consider he has seen all of it earlier than. Now 34, he has actually come up in opposition to an unlimited array of types and personalities and for essentially the most half figured them out. He has been stopped simply twice as a professional (by Sam Bowen in eight rounds and Martin J Ward in 5) and even these stoppages got here at a time when Hughes was nonetheless very a lot studying – each by way of buying expertise and the extent of his personal ambition. He was, in different phrases, not the identical fighter again then as he’s at present.
At the moment, Hughes is a southpaw whose lack of knockout energy – simply 5 stoppages in 26 wins – does completely nothing to stop him successful fights, so refined are his expertise. Poised and affected person, he backs himself at present in a approach he by no means did beforehand and has no worry of standing in entrance of an opponent and making them each miss and look foolish. This he has accomplished to various levels in opposition to fighters like Child Galahad, Ryan Walsh, Jovanni Straffon, and sure, George Kambosos, all of whom convey him to Zepeda on Saturday.
Now, in what acts as an eliminator for the WBA and IBF light-weight titles, by no means will the disparity in energy between two boxers be extra obvious; at the least on paper. In Hughes, you have got a boxer all the time anticipated to go the space, whether or not in victory or defeat, and in Zepeda, you have got somebody who has gone the space simply twice in his final 19 fights. That doesn’t imply Saturday’s battle will probably be determined just by punch energy, however it will be value noting that Hughes, regardless of his nice run of type, has not been threatened by males who possess energy akin to Zepeda’s.
That stated, Straffon, one other Mexican southpaw, was arguably the most important hitter Hughes has confronted in recent times and everyone knows how the Yorkshireman handled him. Now do the identical in opposition to Zepeda on a a lot larger stage, and with extra at stake, and Hughes will certainly be in line to obtain what he has lengthy deserved. But, for as a lot as that looks as if the way in which his story ought to finish, we all know how unforgiving a sport like boxing can typically be and subsequently it’s laborious to see previous Zepeda successful this battle, almost definitely by choice.
