Smith vs Eggington: Robbie Davies Jr unifies super-lightweight titles with victory over Joe Hughes

By Peter Gilbert

Robbie Davies Jr unifies the British and European super-lightweight titles after a hard fought victory against Joe Hughes.

Robbie Davies Jr added the European super-lightweight title to his British belt by claiming a unanimous decision over Joe Hughes on Saturday night.

The battered blood-soaked Liverpudlian secured a 118-110, 115-113, 115-114 decision in front of his hometown fans after a tough 12 rounds on the undercard of the Liam Smith-Sam Eggington bill at the M&S Bank Arena.

Image: Joe Hughes and Robbie Davies Jr trade blows during super-lightweight clash

Hughes, boxing with a high guard, bloodied his opponent's nose in the opener, while Davies Jr showed decent footwork switching between orthodox and southpaw stance.

As the blood continued to flow from the Merseysider's nose and the fight wore on, Hughes grew in confidence and began to apply the pressure, wobbling his man in the fifth.

I ground it out. Joe, what a competitor. He’s like a pitbull. Strong as a bull. It’s unbelievable to become part of history.
Robbie Davies Jr

However, Davies Jr slowed the Wiltshire fighter's attack in the sixth and began to fight on the front foot in the seventh behind his jab, landing body shots and picking his counters.

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After a close few rounds Davies Jr, still switching between stances, began to edge ahead by landing the more accurate shots.

Hughes started the final round swinging before working on the inside, while a blood-soaked Davies Jr roused the crowd by landing a series of decent hooks to finish the fight the stronger of the two.

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