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Lomachenko vs Campbell: Hughie Fury talks about family pride and the threat of Alexander Povetkin

"You're born with that name, you want to make your family proud, and everyone around you"

Hughie Fury
Image: Hughie Fury wants to make his family proud

Hughie Fury tells Sky Sports about fighting for family pride, overcoming dark moments in defeat, and accepting a perilous fight with Alexander Povetkin.

"We're not in this game to play games, it's serious business here," Fury swiftly responded, without any real contemplation about the threat posed in his next fight. "I'll fight whoever. I believe if you're the best, you'll fight anyone. It's alright being a padded fighter, well protected, I don't believe in that. If you can fight, you can fight."

It's been a natural reaction for the 24-year-old to accept risky challenges now - and not even ask questions later. Hughie was offered a number of opponents by new promoter Eddie Hearn and picked the toughest on the list, Alexander Povetkin, a former world champion who will coldly attempt to crush his world-title ambitions on Saturday's Vasiliy Lomachenko-Luke Campbell bill, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

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This is the Fury way, have faith in a natural ability that has been honed in hurtful training sessions since early youth. If you want to reach the top of this unforgiving sport, you'll educate yourself against skilful operators, seasoned contenders and concussive punchers, like Povetkin.

There have been painful nights in this process, a hotly contested points defeat to Joseph Parker, which denied Hughie the opportunity to lift the WBO heavyweight belt in 2017, and then an unfortunate cut hampered him from the early stages of a decision defeat to Kubrat Pulev.

If you give up on something you love so much, and you want it so badly, what good is it?
Hughie Fury

Fury had willingly travelled to Bulgaria for an IBF final eliminator against Pulev, receiving a nasty wound and no reward for his courage, and admits he briefly dwelt on his misfortunes.

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"Of course you do, you always go down sometimes," said Fury. "You put your head down and you think: 'what's going on here?'

"But I just put it down to, I've had a bit of bad luck. If you give up on something you love so much, and you want it so badly, what good is it? You've got to keep fighting for it, and I believe it's going to come.

"Those fights and whatever else, I knew I was 10 times better than them, and I know I've got it inside of me."

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Can Peter Fury plot another famous heavyweight win when his son Hughie faces Povetkin?

With father Peter in his corner, harsh truths quickly replace pained reflection, and Hughie stopped Chris Norrad and Samuel Peter within a matter of months to set-up a high stakes showdown with Povetkin. The respected trainer guided his cousin Tyson to his finest triumph, that points victory over Wladimir Klitschko to claim the unified world heavyweight titles, and Hughie was brought up with the same fighting code.

"You're born with that name, you want to make your family proud, and everyone around you," he said. "You go in there and last man standing basically."

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Highlights of Anthony Joshua's seventh round knockout of Alexander Povetkin

A knockout might be needed when Hughie shares the ring with Povetkin, who troubled Anthony Joshua with his early attacks before being stopped at Wembley last September. The menacing Russian has returned in search of another big-name bout, although Fury insists his harsh lessons have readied him for a career-best victory.

"Alexander Povetkin is a very dangerous fighter, you can't take nothing away from him," said Fury. "He's very experienced, he's been in with very top-level fighters. He's had some good tear-ups.

"Povetkin came strong in the start of the fight, and Joshua just stuck behind his jab and picked him off. He did cause Joshua a few problems.

"I'm very confident either to go the 12, or to knock him out. Either one. I've got it all in my arsenal."

Watch Hughie Fury against Alexander Povetkin on the Lomachenko vs Campbell bill on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office, from 6pm. Book it via your Sky remote or book it online here. Even if you aren't a Sky TV subscriber you can book and watch it here.

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