Maxi Hughes proves persistence pays in boxing

This weekend the 36 year old heads to Dublin’s 3Arena to face unbeaten Irishman Pierce O’Leary for the vacant IBO super lightweight world title.

It is another unlikely chapter in a career built on stubborn resilience.

Doncaster’s Hughes enters the contest with a record of 29 wins, eight defeats and two draws after more than fifteen years as a professional. Few fighters stay relevant that long without a deep reserve of determination.

The bookmakers expect a difficult night for the South Yorkshireman.

O’Leary, unbeaten in 18 fights, starts a clear favourite. Hughes has spent much of his career in that position, facing younger or arguably more fashionable opponents.

To understand why he is still here, the story begins in September 2010.

British boxing headlines then were dominated by David Haye, Carl Froch, Amir Khan, Nathan Cleverly and and a young Sheffield man called Kell Brook.

While those names filled arenas and television schedules, Hughes was quietly learning his trade on small hall shows across the north of England.

Early setbacks arrived when he challenged for the Central Area title in 2013, the WBC International super featherweight belt in 2015 and the British super featherweight title in 2017 and 2018.

Those defeats did not define him. Hughes continued compiling victories and gradually built a reputation as a durable fighter who rarely made life easy for opponents.

Former two weight world champion Carl Frampton once summed up the challenge Hughes presents, describing him as “a tall awkward southpaw” who can be difficult to get to.

Persistence eventually brought its reward. In September 2021 Hughes travelled to Headingley Stadium in Leeds to face Mexico’s Jovanni Straffon for the IBO lightweight world title.

Across 12 disciplined rounds he outboxed the defending champion to win a unanimous decision and claim the belt, the breakthrough moment of a career built the hard way.

The IBO title sits outside boxing’s four traditional governing bodies but remains a recognised world championship that has been held by respected fighters across several divisions.

Hughes defended the belt twice, including a points victory over Sheffield’s former IBF champion Kid Galahad in Nottingham in September 2022.

Before that run he had joked about the unlikely nature of his rise.

“A lot of people are now referring to me as the Cinderella Man,” Hughes said as his career gathered momentum.

His reign ended in July 2023 against former unified champion George Kambosos Jr in Oklahoma. The Australian won a majority decision that produced boos from sections of the crowd.

Hughes insists he had “won that fight”, reflecting the stubborn belief that has carried him through his career.

True to character, he moved on quickly rather than dwelling on the verdict, later accepting another demanding assignment against unbeaten Mexican contender William Zepeda in Las Vegas.

Now another opportunity has appeared.

In Dublin he steps up from lightweight to super lightweight to challenge O’Leary for the vacant IBO super lightweight title.

Sixteen years after turning professional, Hughes is still chasing big nights through experience, patience and sheer determination.

If he can upset the odds again this weekend, it will confirm what his long journey has already shown.

Some fighters shine briefly and disappear.

Maxi Hughes has taken the harder road and simply refuses to go away.

Five things to know about Pierce O’Leary

* The 25 year old is an unbeaten super lightweight with an 18-0 professional record.

* He was obsessed with the sport from childhood and reportedly woke at 4am before school to run along the docks as part of his training routine

* The Dublin fighter is nicknamed “Big Bang” because of his punching power. Out of the ring, some dubbed him 'Clark Kent' as he wears spectacles!

* He was a nine-time Irish amateur champion before turning professional in 2019.

* O’Leary has won ten of his professional fights inside the distance.