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Joe Hughes beaten by Sandor Martin in European title fight

Sandor Martin, Joe Hughes
Image: Sandor Martin defeated Joe Hughes on points in Spain

Joe Hughes was unable to regain the European super-lightweight title as he suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Sandor Martin in Barcelona.

The Wiltshire man struggled to cope with Martin's clever counter punching and elusive foot movement, with all three judges scoring it widely for the Spanish champion with scores of 119-109, 119-109 and 117-111.

Hughes had attempted to reclaim the European title, having lost the belt in a hard-fought point loss to Robbie Davies Jnr in March, and the 29-year-old tried to enforce his aggressive tactics in the early rounds.

But Martin refused to be pinned down, replying with eye-catching combinations, and then evaded late attempts from Hughes to seek a dramatic stoppage win.

On the same bill in Spain, David Avanesyan defended his European welterweight title with a ruthless first-round knockout of Jose Del Rio.

The Britain-based Russian launched a brutal assault from the first bell and dropped Spaniard Del Rio for the count with a body shot to stay on course for a showdown with Josh Kelly.

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Promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed that Kelly has agreed to face Avanesyan next after the highly-rated Sunderland fighter returns to action in Phoenix on the Daniel Jacobs-Julio Chavez Jr bill on December 20, live on Sky Sports.

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