Gurung has his title fight on Cannock bill

Minaaz Gurung…will face Joe Underwood Hughes on September 13

IT’S been a sweat, but Minaaz Gurung finally has his title fight on the mammoth September 13 Cannock show.

The Nuneaton super-lightweight will face Joe Underwood Hughes for the vacant 10st belt.

That’s a cracking 10 rounder and 23-year-old Minaaz’s toughest test by a long way.

The crowd-pleaser, born in Nepal, has never ventured beyond four rounds. He’s unbeaten in five.

Hughes, from Nottingham, has tasted defeat four times in 14 outings, but he’s faced good men, has arena show experience and only failed to hear the final bell once. The 28-year-old took hot prospect Cameron Vuong the eight round distance at Wembley.

Hughes’ only real bad night was supplied by Clayton Bricknell, a Wolverhampton boxer who has lost more than he’s won and is not considered a “lights out” puncher.

He faced Hughes in Nottingham and won inside a round.

You have to applaud Scott Murray, the promoter behind the September 13 show at Chase Leisure Centre, Cannock, for securing Gurung-Hughes on a card already bristling with 50-50 fights.

He’s been rewarded by news the extravaganza is already a near sell-out.

Gurung’s manager Jon Pegg admitted: “Yes, it’s a tough fight, but fights for the Midlands title should be tough.”

Trainer Lee Spare has no doubt the move to 10 round title status has come at the right time.

“I think it’s brilliant news,” he told me. “I think Minaaz is ready for it, he’s been ticking along nicely. He’s ready for the step-up.

“It’s a good test on his journey. He’s more composed now, he’s settled down, he’s not rushing things. Before, he got a bit close, now he’s thinking about opening up the target.”

What Murray is about to put on is, frankly, staggering. The scale of the operation suggests the fan in the man has taken precedent for this one.

To date, there’s three confirmed title fights. As well as Gurung, Coventry’s Jess Barry is in international title action and Cannock’s Ollie Cooper defends his Midlands super-middleweight title.

And there may be more belts up for grabs on the night. Both WBC international light-middleweight champ Sam Eggington and English super-bantam boss Nyall Berry fight on the show and may well defend their crowns: opponents are still being sought.

Add to the list a cracking English welterweight title eliminator between Cannock’s Zach Evans and Tyler Rivers.

There also the UK debut of huge hitting American cruiser Craig Parker and a packed undercard.

Murray really has thrown the kitchen sink at this one.

“It could easily have been staged in an arena,” Scott said.

“I ask myself, if a show like this was put on in my hometown, would I want to go? The answer’s a definite yes.”

He added: “It wasn’t supposed to be this big, it just grew.”

And grew…and grew.