FRUSTRATED Joe Hughes is hoping and praying that he will be back battling for top titles next time out after his clash with Tomas Bartunek last weekend was over in a flash.

The English light-welterweight champion was hoping to defend his St George’s strap against Glenn Foot at Swindon’s Oasis Leisure Centre on Saturday but after that clash couldn’t go ahead, the 25-year-old was thrust into a contest with Czech five-fight novice Bartunek.

After looking a class above in the early stages, it took Hughes just a single round to dispatch his teenage opponent, with referee Lee Cook bringing an end to the fight due to retire a severe gash above Bartunek’s left eye.

Still struggling to secure quality challenger for his English belt, Malmesbury’s Hughes is instead looking upwards at British title shot.

“I’ll speak with my manager (Andy O’Kane) about it but as it is, I’ve just got to keep going on and keep petitioning the board to try and get the British title shot now,” said Hughes.

“No-one will fight me for the English so the next one is the British, so hopefully someone will give me a shot at that. Otherwise, I’m stuck in limbo as it is, doing fights that I don’t really need to do.

“I just want to push on and keep moving up. I haven’t got a plan because I try not to think too far ahead and each fight; I make sure that I’m just thinking about that fight.”

Hughes added: “Obviously, I wanted to put on a bit more of a show for everyone that’s bought tickets and came along to support me but that’s boxing – I just caught him (Bartunek), opening the cut up and that was it.

“It goes down as a first-round stoppage on my record, so we’ve got to take the positives from that.

“I’d trained for a ten-round title fight for my English and ended up with one round but what can you do? I’m disappointed but you can’t moan too much.”