Kubrat Pulev sets up title fight with Anthony Joshua after unanimous points decision over Hughie Fury
All three judges scored the fight in favour of 37-year-old Pulev, who now becomes the mandatory IBF challenger to unified world heavyweight champion Joshua
Hughie Fury was beaten on a unanimous points decision by Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev in his IBF heavyweight eliminator in Sofia.
All three judges scored the fight in favour of 37-year-old Pulev, who now becomes the mandatory IBF challenger to Anthony Joshua.
Fury, the 24-year-old cousin of Tyson Fury, came into the fight with a 21-1 record - his only loss coming against Joseph Parker in Manchester last September.
Fury sustained a bad cut above his left eye in only the second round and, although he rocked Pulev with a big right hand in the eighth, the Bulgarian came out well on top, with one judge scoring the fight 118-110.
Britain's current boxing world champions
Show all 8Speaking after the fight, Fury said: “It wasn’t my night – the cut I suffered a few weeks ago opened up and it affected my performance. Despite that, I gave it my all, went the full twelve rounds and ran him close.
“It was a big ask for my fans to travel all this way and I want to thank them for coming out in force to show their support.”
Trainer and father, Peter Fury added: “Hughie came into the fight with a cut above the eye. He was stitched up two weeks ago but they [the doctors] said it would heal in time for the fight and obviously it didn’t.”
“Pulev caught him with a jab and split it right open. From that moment in the second round it was an uphill battle. I’m proud of my son – he was fighting on away soil, injured, yet he still went the full distance.”
“If the cut hadn’t happened we would have seen a different outcome.”
There was some British success on the undercard however, with Hartlepool’s Savannah Marshall putting on a dominant display to claim a unanimous decision victory over Argentina’s Yanina Orozco, which saw her earn the WBA super-middleweight Intercontinental Championship title.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies