Derry's Paul Hughes got back in the win column with an explosive 42-second knockout victory over Bruno Miranda in Belfast.
Hughes soaked up an electric atmosphere inside the SSE Arena before producing a performance that matched it.
The 28-year-old lightweight, who dropped Miranda with a huge left hand, said: "I wish it went on a little longer, I know people wanted to see a scrap, but what do you do? I just hit too hard.
"I made my professional debut in this arena over eight years ago and every single time I drove past it I said I am going to fight there [again] and my dream came true.
"We're a small country but we're dong big things on the world stage. I hope I represent you all well, because I am going to the top."
Fighting on home soil for the first time since 2019, Hughes might have felt the weight of a nation on his shoulders.
After a narrow defeat by former Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov in January, Hughes needed a big performance on home soil to stake his claim for a rematch.
But there was zero sign of nerves from Hughes, who wore a broad smile from the moment he emerged from backstage.
Comments
Post a Comment