JOE Hughes still wants to fight for the English light-welterweight title but is refusing to be content with twiddling his thumbs, waiting for opportunity to knock.

Since winning the Southern Area belt last October, the 24-year-old has seen a potential defence of that title and a mooted English eliminator fall through and whilst the Malmesbury fighter still considers national glory a short-term career aim, he won’t be resting on his laurels in the mean-time.

Hughes has been sanctioned to fight for an IBO International title on Saturday April 18 at the Action Indoor Sports centre in Whitchurch, Bristol, and has his fingers crossed that he’ll finally be able to add to his eleven-fight record.

“When I won the Southern Area title, I was really excited that I was finally going to be busy but it hasn’t happened and that’s been frustrating,” said Hughes, who trains at Paddy John’s Gym in Bristol and will be boxing alongside stablemates Danny Butler and Dan Stewart in April.

“We tried to fight for me to defend my Southern Area belt but we couldn’t find me an opponent and then I was supposed to have an English eliminator (against Liverpool’s Robbie Davis Jr) but something went wrong with the purse bids and that won’t be happening either.

“I still want to have a shot at the English, whether that’s an eliminator or a fight for the actual belt, but I can’t just wait and I had to look at something else.

“I don’t know who I’ll be fighting for the IBO belt. It could even end up being someone from England.

“I’ve been sanctioned for it and it’s a vacant belt. I just can’t wait to find out who my opponent is so I can get ready for them.”

Whilst Hughes has moved on from the idea of defending his Southern Area belt, last week the British Boxing Board of Control put out a rematch between the Malmesbury man and Philip Bowes, the man he emphatically stopped to win the title last year, for purse bids.

Hughes said: “I heard about that. Why would I want to go over old ground?

“Even if I stopped him in the first round, it wouldn’t do me any better than the first fight, so I’m just looking to move forward.”

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