Boxing
Darren Barker reflects on Maxi Hughes' career ahead of Kid Galahad fight: He's a Cinderella Man
Watch Hughes vs. Galahad on DAZN (except AUS & NZ)
WBA 'regular' featherweight champion Leigh Wood may have pulled out of his fight this coming Saturday with Mauricio Lara due to injury, but the new main event in Nottingham could be an entertaining one.
One of British boxing's recent feel good stories, Maxi Hughes, takes on Kid Galahad with both men hoping a win can put them on the road to a lightweight world title shot.
Hughes, whose career seemed over after losing Sam Bowen in 2018, has since become of one of the country's most exciting fighters and DAZN Boxing analyst Darren Barker couldn't help but praise the 32-year-old.
"Maxi Hughes is a ‘Cinderella Man’," Barker told DAZN.
"I remember going and supporting Martin J Ward when he fought Maxi Hughes in Leeds. They fought three times and I certainly felt after the third fight that would be it for Maxi Hughes, but the way he’s turned his career around is incredible.
"It just shows that hard work and discipline can take you a long way, he’s an extremely talented fighter, but he had been matched really hard.
"The way he fought against a really dangerous [Jovanni] Straffon in Leeds was very impressive after he destroyed James Tennyson."
Saturday's fight will be the first time Galahad has fought at lightweight after previously campaigning at featherweight where he became a world champion, Barker is interested to see whether the Ingle Gym product can thrive at 135lbs after struggling to make the featherweight limit.
"I felt that the weight used to drain and destroy him [Kid Galahad], I guess a big question is whether he would be able to carry that power up to this new weight. We’ll have to wait and find out," he said.
