Maxi Hughes: Future Fight Options

Maxi Hughes won the WBC Silver Lightweight title with a unanimous decision win over Archie Sharp, raising questions over his next steps.

Hughes entered the fight with plenty to prove. He had lost two out of his last three bouts, coming up short against George Kambosos Jr. and William Zepeda. While he beat Gary Cully in his last bout, the jury was still out. The opening round was devoid of much action, with both boxers feeling each other out.

The fight failed to produce much action until the fifth, as both boxers started exchanging. Hughes followed that up with a massive right hand in the sixth. A left hand also rocked Sharp in the seventh as Hughes tried to secure the finish. Sharp showed lots of heart to continue through the championship rounds, but it was not enough to get a decision: 115-113, 116-112 and 120-108. 

Options

Hughes is ranked number 4 in the WBA Lightweight Rankings. The current champion is Gervonta Davis, who is expected to rematch Lamont Roach Jr. next. Andy Cruz, Floyd Schofield and Wiliam Zepeda are ranked above him. Hughes could pursue one of those bouts to get a win, taking him up the rankings to secure a future title shot. Hughes previously fought Kambosos for the vacant IBF Lightweight Title. Although he lost a majority decision, most of the boxing community had Hughes winning, showing he could compete at the world level. 

Hughes is also in the top 15 in the WBC and IBF rankings. There is a possible domestic fight against Sam Noakes, who is ranked fifth in the IBF rankings. Noakes is undefeated with a 17-0 record and has 15 KO wins. The latter is coming off a KO win against Patrik Balaz, as a Hughes fight would be one of the biggest on his resume. 

As for the WBC rankings, a fight against former WBO Lightweight Champion Denys Berinchyk is a good match-up. Berinchyk has shown he can compete at world level, having beaten Emanuel Navarrete. Berinchyk, though, is coming off a loss against Keyshawn Davis, as now could be the right time to take that fight. Regardless, Hughes has put himself in the position for the biggest bouts.