Joe Hughes (boxer)

Joe Hughes (born 6 August 1990) is an English professional boxer who was born with Erb's palsy. He held the European super-lightweight title from 2018 to 2019 and challenged twice for the same title, along with two attempts at the British super-lightweight title between 2017 and 2019.

Joe Hughes
Statistics
Weight(s)Light-welterweight
Height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)[1]
Reach61 1⁄2 in (156 cm)[2]
NationalityEnglish
Born (1990-08-06) 6 August 1990
Bath, Somerset, England[3]
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record[4]
Total fights23
Wins17
Wins by KO8
Losses5
Draws1

Early life

Joe Hughes was born on 6 August 1990 in Bath, Somerset, and grew up in Malmesbury, Wiltshire.[3] He developed Erb's palsy after suffering a dislocated shoulder during birth, a condition which causes paralysis due to damaged nerves. Due to the condition his right arm failed to develop properly and is three inches shorter than his left. Doctors told his parents that he would never be able to run in a straight line, have a manual job or participate in contact sports.

His introduction to combat sports came through taekwondo around the age of five. His father took him to lessons as an alternative to physiotherapy for his shoulder, with Hughes stating in an interview with BBC Sports, "Since I was born I had to do physiotherapy on it and obviously when you're a child you don't want to do those standard exercises, it's boring for a child." He first got into boxing three years later after his father took him to the Malmesbury Amateur Boxing Club at the age of eight.[5]

Professional career

Early career

Hughes made his professional debut on 16 October 2010, scoring a six-round points decision (PTS) victory over Jason Carr at the Troxy in London.[6] After three more wins, two by stoppage, he suffered the first defeat of his career against Joe Elfidh in March 2012, losing by PTS over six rounds.[7]

Following defeat he secured four more wins, one by stoppage, before facing Kristian Dochev for the vacant International Masters light-welterweight title on 5 April 2014 at The Forum in Bath. Hughes captured his first professional title, defeating Dochev via PTS over ten rounds.[8] In his next fight he defeated future Commonwealth light-welterweight champion, Philip Bowes, on 11 October 2014 at The O2 Arena in London, capturing the vacant Southern Arena light-welterweight title with a technical knockout (TKO) in the tenth and final round.[9] In his next bout he fought for a regional IBO title, defeating Jaba Shalutashvili on 18 April 2015 at the Whitchurch Sports Centre in Bristol, capturing the vacant IBO International light-welterweight title via eighth-round TKO.[10]

English title

Following his win over Shalutashvili, Hughes was scheduled to face Ryan Taylor for the vacant English light-welterweight title. However, after Taylor suffered a stoppage defeat earlier in the month he was handed an automatic suspension, prompting Anthony Hardy to be drafted in as a replacement. The bout took place on 18 July 2015 at the Bath Pavilion in Bath,[11] with Hughes emerging victorious via ten-round split decision (SD) to capture his fourth professional title in as many fights. Two judges scored the bout 98–92 in favour of Hughes while the third scored it 97–95 to Hardy.[12] After a TKO win in a non-title fight against Tomas Bartunek in October,[13] Hughes successfully defended his English title on 5 December, defeating Anthony Upton via ten-round unanimous decision (UD) at the Town Hall in Walsall.[14]

After his win over Upton, Hughes relinquished his English title in favour of a final eliminator for the British light-welterweight title,[15] challenging The Ring magazine's number nine ranked contender[16] and WBO Inter-Continental light-welterweight champion Jack Catterall. The bout took place on 13 May 2016 at the Macron Stadium's Premier Suite in Bolton, with Hughes suffering the second defeat of his career, losing by UD with the judges' scorecards reading 117–112, 117–113, and 115–113.[17]

Following the defeat to Catterall, Hughes was installed as the mandatory challenger for the English title that he relinquished prior to the Catterall fight, which was then held by former victim Anthony Upton. Upton elected to relinquish the title instead of fighting Hughes,[15] leaving Hughes to face Andy Keates for the vacant title on 17 December 2016 at Action Indoor Sports in Bristol. Hughes regained the English title via UD, with the judges' scorecards reading 100–92, 98–94, and 97–94.[18]

British title attempt

For his next fight he once again vacated his English title in order to challenge British light-welterweight champion, Tyrone Nurse, on 23 April 2017 at the Leicester Arena. In what was viewed as a surprise result,[19][20] Hughes fought to a twelve-round split draw. One judge scored the bout 115–113 in favour of Hughes, another scored it 116–113 for Nurse while the third judge scored it even at 115–115 to see Nurse retain the British title.[21]

European title

He returned to the Leicester Arena for his next fight, challenging European light-welterweight champion, Anthony Yigit, on 2 December. In a fight that saw Hughes start as the aggressor, he eventually slowed down as he began to tire, going on to suffer his third professional defeat with a UD loss. The judges' scorecards read 118–112, 118–110, and 119–109.[22] After securing a stoppage victory by corner retirement (RTD) against Ruben Rodriguez in February 2018,[23] Hughes was handed a second shot at the European title, this time against Andrea Scarpa for the vacant title on 30 November 2018 at the Teatro Obi Hall in Florence, Italy. Hughes captured his first major regional title via SD, with two judges scoring the bout 118–110 and 116–112 in favour of Hughes while the third judge scored it 116–112 to Scarpa.[24]

He would make a second attempt at the British title in a unification fight against reigning champion Robbie Davies Jr. on 30 March 2019 at the Echo Arena in Liverpool. Hughes lost his European title by UD, with the judges' scorecards reading 115–114, 115–113, and 118–110.[25]

Cancelled bout with Ritson

He was scheduled to make his comeback on 2 August against former British lightweight champion and reigning WBA Continental light-welterweight champion Lewis Ritson at the Liverpool Exhibition Centre. However, in the week leading up to the fight Hughes was forced to withdraw after suffering a back injury.[26]

Third European title attempt

After recovering from his back injury, Hughes got the chance to become a two-time European champion, challenging reigning champion Sandor Martin on 12 December 2019 at the Pabellón de la Vall d'Hebron in Barcelona, Spain. Hughes was unsuccessful in his attempt, losing by a wide UD margin with two judges' scoring the bout 119–108 and the third scoring it 117–111.[27]

Professional boxing record
Professional record summary
23 fights 17 wins 5 losses
By knockout 7 0
By decision 10 5
Draws 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
24 N/A N/A Sam Maxwell N/A – (10) 29 Aug 2020 BT Sport Studio, London, England For WBO European light-welterweight title
23 Loss 17–5–1 Sandor Martin UD 12 12 Dec 2019 Pabellón de la Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain For European light-welterweight title
22 Loss 17–4–1 Robbie Davies Jr. UD 12 30 Mar 2019 Echo Arena, Liverpool, England Lost European light-welterweight title;
For British light-welterweight title
21 Win 17–3–1 Andrea Scarpa SD 12 30 Nov 2018 Teatro Obi Hall, Florence, Italy Won vacant European light-welterweight title
20 Loss 16–3–1 Ruben Rodriguez RTD 6 (8), 3:00 9 Feb 2018 UWE Exhibition and Conference Centre, Bristol, England
19 Loss 15–3–1 Anthony Yigit UD 12 2 Dec 2017 Leicester Arena, Leicester, England For European light-welterweight title
18 Draw 15–2–1 Tyrone Nurse SD 12 22 Apr 2017 Leicester Arena, Leicester, England For British light-welterweight title
17 Win 15–2 Andy Keates UD 10 17 Dec 2016 Action Indoor Sports, Bristol, England Won vacant English light-welterweight title
16 Loss 14–2 Jack Catterall UD 12 13 May 2016 Macron Stadium's Premier Suite, Bolton, England For WBO Inter-Continental light-welterweight title
15 Win 14–1 Anthony Upton UD 10 5 Dec 2015 Walsall Town Hall, Walsall, England Retained English light-welterweight title
14 Win 13–1 Tomas Bartunek TKO 1 (8), 3:00 24 Oct 2015 Oasis Leisure Centre, Swindon, England
13 Win 12–1 Anthony Hardy SD 10 18 Jul 2015 Bath Pavilion, Bath, England Won vacant English light-welterweight title
12 Win 11–1 Jaba Shalutashvili TKO 8 (10), 1:49 18 Apr 2015 Whitchurch Sports Centre, Bristol, England Won vacant IBO International light-welterweight title
11 Win 10–1 Philip Bowes TKO 10 (10), 2:05 11 Oct 2014 The O2 Arena, London, England Won vacant Southern Area light-welterweight title
10 Win 9–1 Kristian Dochev PTS 10 5 Apr 2014 The Forum, Bath, England Won vacant International Masters light-welterweight title
9 Win 8–1 Dougie Curran PTS 6 7 Dec 2013 Oasis Leisure Centre, Swindon, England
8 Win 7–1 William Warburton PTS 6 26 Oct 2013 Trowbridge Civic Hall, Trowbridge, England
7 Win 6–1 Mark McKray PTS 6 6 Oct 2012 Oasis Leisure Centre, Swindon, England
6 Win 5–1 Matt Seawright RTD 2 (6), 3:00 2 Jun 2012 GL1 Leisure Centre, Gloucester, England
5 Loss 4–1 Joe Elfidh PTS 6 3 Mar 2012 Hillsborough Leisure Centre, Sheffield, England
4 Win 4–0 Tony Pace PTS 6 3 Sep 2011 Dome Leisure Centre, Doncaster, England
3 Win 3–0 Martin Shaw TKO 6 (6), 1:39 9 Apr 2011 Rainton Meadows Arena, Houghton-le-Spring, England
2 Win 2–0 Gavin Putney TKO 1 (6) 5 Feb 2011 Brentwood Centre, Brentwood, England
1 Win 1–0 Jason Carr PTS 6 16 Oct 2010 Troxy, London, England
gollark: I can *slightly* do that, but it takes effort.
gollark: No.
gollark: If that involves visualizing complicated things, then no.
gollark: Visual/numerical/verbal memory are generally correlated.
gollark: I don't think the brain actually does tradeoffs like that.

References
  1. Sky Sports tale of the tape prior to the Sandor Martin fight
  2. Sky Sports tale of the tape prior to the Sandor Martin fight
  3. Maggs, Neil (12 May 2019). "Boxer Joe Hughes on his disability, family life and frustrations". Bristol Post. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  4. "Boxing record for Joe Hughes". BoxRec.
  5. "Joe Hughes: Boxer targets intercontinental title despite Erb's palsy". BBC Sport. 13 May 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  6. "BoxRec: Joe Hughes vs. Jason Carr". boxrec.com. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  7. "BoxRec: Joe Hughes vs. Joe Elfidh". boxrec.com. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  8. "BOXING: Joe Hughes is International Masters champion". Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard. 6 April 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  9. "BoxRec: Joe Hughes vs. Philip Bowes". boxrec.com. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  10. Armit, Eric (21 April 2015). "The Past Week in Action 21 April 2015". BoxeoMundial. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  11. Hall, Danny (24 June 2015). "BOXING: Joe Hughes gets English title chance at Bath Pavilion". Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  12. Barnes, Dan (18 July 2015). "Hughes cracks Hardy to win English title". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  13. "VIDEO: Joe Hughes v Tomas Bartunek". Your Sport Swindon. 28 October 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  14. "BOXING: Joe Hughes retains English title as he beats 'Hitman' Hatton protege Anthony Upton in Walsall". Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard. 6 December 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  15. Jay, Phil (19 October 2016). "Anthony Upton vacates English title". World Boxing News. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  16. Fischer, Doug (13 May 2016). "Jack Catterall outpoints Joe Hughes, earns shot at British title". The Ring. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  17. Foster, Elliot (13 May 2016). "Jack Catterall Beats Hughes, Is Mandatory For Tyrone Nurse". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  18. Barnes, Dan (20 December 2016). "Delighted Joe is king of England once more". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  19. Hall, Danny (25 April 2017). "BOXING: Malmesbury's Joe Hughes surprises the pundits in forcing a draw with British champion Tyrone Nurse". Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  20. "Khurtsidze Blasts Tommy Langford To Earn Billy Joe Saunders". BoxingScene.com. 22 April 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  21. Edwards, Matthew (22 April 2017). "BOXING: Hughes claims draw in British title bout". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  22. Foster, Elliot (2 December 2017). "Anthony Yigit Outpoints Joe Hughes, Retains EBU Crown". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  23. "BoxRec: Joe Hughes vs. Ruben Rodriguez". boxrec.com. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  24. "Fabio Turchi, Joe Hughes Win Big at Teatro Obi Hall in Florence". BoxingScene.com. 30 November 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  25. Gilbert, Peter (30 March 2019). "Smith vs Eggington: Robbie Davies Jr unifies super-lightweight titles with victory over Joe Hughes". Sky Sports. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  26. L. Stumberg, Patrick (29 July 2019). "Joe Hughes injures back, out of bout with Lewis Ritson". www.badlefthook.com. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  27. Donovan, Jake (12 December 2019). "Sandor Martin Decisions Joe Hughes, Retains EBU Title". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
Sporting positions
Regional boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Ricky Boylan		 Southern Area light-welterweight champion
11 October 2014 – March 2015		 Vacant
Title next held by
Johnny Coyle
Vacant
Title last held by
Lee McAllister		 IBO International light-welterweight champion
18 April 2015 – June 2015		 Vacant
Title next held by
Batyrzhan Jukembayev
Vacant
Title last held by
Tommy Martin		 English light-welterweight champion
18 July 2015 – April 2016		 Vacant
Title next held by
Anthony Upton
Vacant
Title last held by
Anthony Upton		 English light-welterweight champion
17 December 2016 – March 2017		 Vacant
Title next held by
Glenn Foot
Vacant
Title last held by
Anthony Yigit		 European light-welterweight champion
30 November 2018 – 30 March 2019		 Succeeded by
Robbie Davies Jr.
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