JOE Hughes sometimes forgets that he doesn’t own the English super-lightweight title anymore but the Malmesbury fighter insists that he’ll remember to be at his best when he once again contests the now-vacant strap next month.

After losing to fellow Englishman Jack Caterall in Bolton in May, the 26-year-old was stripped of his St George’s belt but Hughes (14-2) will have the chance to regain his old title when he takes on Midlands Area champion Andy Keates (12-4) at the Action Indoor Sports Centre in Bristol, on December 17.

Keates, who hails from Leek, in Staffordshire, has twice unsuccessfully challenged for the English lightweight title but in his last contest, the 25-year-old out-pointed previously-unbeaten Matchroom Boxing man Jordan Cooke in Birmingham.

With the chance to reclaim a coveted national crown, Hughes, who trains under Andy O’Kane at Paddy John’s Gym in Bristol, will have a point to prove when he meets Keates and despite treading back over old ground, the former English champion is certain he’ll be unable to rest on his laurels.

“I’m glad that I’ve got a tough opponent,” said Hughes.

“If it had been against someone that I thought I’d beat easily, then I would have been too relaxed and it would have been hard to stay focussed for it, but I know that this is going to be a hard fight.

“He had a big win on a Matchroom show against one of their unbeaten prospects and that was to defend his Midlands title.

“He likes to come forward, so it should be an interesting fight and quite action-packed.

“He’s a true light-welterweight (super-lightweight). He’s fought down at lightweight and hasn’t had much success, so maybe it’s not the right weight for him. I know that if I went down to lightweight, I’d be like a skeleton.

“He’s a bit taller than me anyway, so I don’t think that I’ll be bigger than him at all.

“I can’t afford to lose – I don’t want to end up with two losses in a row.

“It’s strange because whenever I see it written down that the title is vacant, I think: ‘oh yeah’. I almost forget about it because I don’t feel like I lost the English title and I’m just defending it again.”

Next month’s bill, which is promoted by Stuart Davies, will have something of an unorthodox flavour to it – the show is pro-am and long before Hughes locks horns with Keates, several amateur bouts will take place.

Two other Wiltshire fighters will also be stepping into the ring, with Malmesbury ABC’s Sam Kirby, 20, and Luc Rees, 16, in action.