Andrea Scarpa vs Joe Hughes headline Matchroom card in Florence

ESTABLISHED in Britain, venturing into America in a big way, Matchroom promotionsare also expanding into Italy. In Florence on Friday (November 30) at the Obi Hall three Britons will take on Italian opposition. Seasoned Andrea Scarpa, who has lost to Ohara Davies but beat John Wayne Hibbert, takes on Joe Hughes.

“I’ve watched a lot of Joe Hughes’ fights and he likes to be the aggressor,” said Scarpa. “He throws a lot of punches and piles on the pressure but this will play into my hands. I will make him miss with my fast movement and hit him on the counter.

“I’ve shared the ring with British fighters on two occasions and I know the style they bring to the ring. Joe put up a good fight in his last challenge for the European title against Anthony Yigit and that shows the level that he’s at. I’ll need to be at the top of my game to beat him.

“I’ve been training for this fight for two months now. I’m in the shape of my career and I’m feeling confident in my abilities. Having mental strength is vital if you want to defeat a tough customer like Joe Hughes.”

With home advantage, if Scarpa is at his best he can outpoint Hughes.

Popular hometown cruiserweight Fabio Turchi takes on Tony Conquest. The Italian is 15-0 (11) and might well be able to find another knockout against Conquest.

Martin Ward continues to rebound from his loss to James Tennyson. He fights Italian veteran Devis Boschiero and should be able to put his skills to work, rebuild his confidence and outbox Boschiero. Commonwealth Games bronze medallist John Docherty, 1-0 as a professional, also features on the undercard.