Maxi Hughes has revealed his first experience in the ring – and it was more chasing than boxing.
Boxing Social’s Matt Lenihan spoke to ‘Maximus’ for the first instalment of our Portrait of a Fighter series, the intoductory part of which details Hughes’ upbringing and first steps into the world of boxing.
Hughes revealed that it was rugby he was progressing in until his coach suggested a boxing gym for a form of different training. Despite it just being a means for fitness, the Yorkshire man found a passion for punching.
After discovering he was a southpaw and getting the basics under his belt, Hughes was thrust inside the ropes for his first spar. He told the story to Boxing Social with a smile – the sweet science it was not.
“I think I had two sessions, and I think the ultimate test came to see if I had it, and he put me in sparring. I was proper nervous. It feels like a blur now … They put me in with a kid who was taller than me, who’d been going a little bit longer than me but still he had had no fights.”
“I remember stood in the opposite corner waiting for him to say ‘time’ – because there was no timer he just used to watch clock – so he said ‘time.’ … I only really know how to use my left hand so I was just chasing the kid around. At the end I was proper chasing him, cause he turned his back and he was running away from me. I was chasing after him and Ken went ‘stop, stop!’
He says this is boxing, this isn’t fighting. He had to stay stop a few times because I had red mist on, I was just chasing him trying to kill him … Sadly the kid who I was sparring, boxing wasn’t for him after that. We never saw him again.”
Once Hughes understood the difference between boxing and fighting, things went upwards from there.
Fans will know the story from then on – that novice sparring session has turned into a 33 fight career that sees him currently boasting the IBO Word Lightweight strap. His last outing saw him fight to a majority decision win over Kid Galahad in Nottingham.
You can watch the first part of Boxing Social’s Portrait of a Fighter below.