Peter Fury: Hughie Fury can unify world titles

Trainer Peter Fury believes his son Hughie is capable of not only winning a world heavyweight title but unifying the division.

Hughie (21-1-KO11) heads for Bulgaria to take on Kubrat Pulev in an IBF final eliminator on October 27 with the winner advancing to a shot at WBA Super, WBO and IBF champion Anthony Joshua.

The 24-year-old has already challenged for a world title – suffering his sole career defeat with a controversial points decision to Joseph Parker at Manchester Arena in September 2017 – and Peter believes greatness beckons.

Peter Fury said: “I believe Hughie can unify the titles. He’s an exceptional talent and he’s getting better and better all the time.

“He’s already incredibly experienced by the age of 24. Anthony Joshua turned professional at 24 and Hughie has already been hard done by in a world title fight. He belongs on the world stage.

“Hughie turned professional at 18 and he’s already 21-1 with the loss a controversial defeat to a world champion. That’s a statement in itself. He’s an exceptional young man and I believe he’ll unify when he gets the chance.

“He isn’t a trash-talker. He doesn’t talk rubbish. He doesn’t have a bad bone in his body. All this stuff about hating other fighters is rubbish. He’s got respect for every human being. I’m proud of the way he conducts himself.

“I think if Hughie gets past Pulev then facing Joshua could happen next year. I don’t expect AJ to drop the IBF title or run from anybody.”

Savannah Marshall Added To Pulev vs Fury Undercard

Women’s super-middleweight sensation Savannah Marshall will compete in her fourth professional bout on the undercard of the ‘Fire & Fury’ event at the Arena Armeec in Sofia, Bulgaria on Saturday 27 October.

Currently ranked seventh in the women’s world standings, Marshall will be looking to maintain her unbeaten record with a win against a yet to be named opponent.

The 27-year-old from Hartlepool, nicknamed ‘Silent Assassin’, started her professional career with a win over Sydney LeBlanc on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor in August 2017. Marshall has fought twice since then, securing knockout victories over Ester Konecna in May and Alejandra Ayala in June of this year.

“I’m really looking forward to getting back in the ring,” said Savannah. “We’re around five weeks away now from the fight and these last few weeks of training are going to be the hardest. I’m getting fitter and stronger each day and I’m excited about fighting again.”

She added: “I’ve had three fights and three wins so I’m looking to keep the momentum going and push forward. I also want to show that I’ve improved since those last three performances. It gives me confidence knowing how hard I’ve trained and I’m going to take that into the ring on October 27th.

Speaking about her potential opponent, Savannah said: “Of course it would help to know who my opponent is but at this stage of my career it isn’t crucial. I’ve only had three professional fights and I’m not on the world stage yet, so really, I’m just looking to improve as a boxer. I’m still in the early stages of my career and I’m concentrating on my own preparation.

Savannah trains alongside event headliner Hughie Fury at the Team Fury gym in Bolton under the watchful eye of Hughie’s father and trainer Peter Fury. She said:

“It’s been a great experience to train with Peter [Fury] and Hughie [Fury]. It’s been a different experience to when I was an amateur and part of the Team GB set up for eight years. I thought I’d seen everything at Team GB but some of the things Peter has us doing are really eye opening.”

She added: “I just want to be the best boxer I can possibly be. I would love to be a professional who walks away with something. A world title is the ultimate goal.”

Tickets for ‘Fire & Fury’ are now on sale via Eventim.bg. Fans in the UK will be able to watch the fight live on free to air Channel 5.