Just over a year since his last fight, 29-year old Kyle Hughes walked back out into the ring on Saturday 17 April to box on the card of the MTK Global show in Bolton.
The pro boxer from Ilkeston in Derbyshire, who is trained and managed by Scott Calow, was up against 22-year old Paul Ryan from Ireland in a four-round contest at the town’s Macron Stadium.
Held behind closed doors, the show was shown live on ESPN and streamed live on IF TV and fight fans were treated to a tough, competitive fight from the two Middleweights.
“Although the decision didn’t go my way, it was great to be back in the ring after such a long time,” said Kyle following the referee’s announcement that Paul had secured victory by just one point.
“But I’ve no complaints about the result – Paul was a very classy operator and, let’s face it, you don’t fluke a medal on the world amateur stage! I loved every second of it and after a week or so off I’ll be in the gym again getting ready for the next phone call inviting me to get back out there.”
“Without a doubt Kyle’s put in a lot of hard work over the past 12 months, getting ready to be competitive against a former world class amateur who’s expected to be a big name in the pro ranks,” said Scott.
“We knew it was never going to be easy – our plan was to apply the pressure, break his opponent’s rhythm and at the same time not get caught on the way in. The judges’ scoring shows just how close it was – after the third round, I told Kyle he needed to win round four to come out with a draw and in fact quite a few knowledgeable boxing people out there felt that’s just what he’d done.
“After a bit of time out, we’ll be getting together to discuss what’s next for him and decide whether he’ll be appearing on one of our own local events or if we’re going to be looking for another opportunity for him to box on a televised event.”
scottcalowboxing.com 
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