Undefeated heavyweight star Hughie Lewis Fury will tackle ‘Dominican Dynamite’ Nagy Aguilera for the vacant WBC International heavyweight title on Saturday, March 26 at The SSE Arena, Wembley.
The scheduled 12-rounder, Fury’s first title fight, will be televised on Channel 5 and act as chief-support to the headlining British middleweight title clash between Nick ‘Bang Bang’ Blackwell and Chris Eubank Jr.
Twenty-nine-year-old Aguilera has been a professional since 2007 and is a former USBA heavyweight title challenger. Born in the Dominican Republic, but now based in New York, rugged Aguilera has fought a number of top heavyweights over the years and time and time again more than held his own.
In 2009 he knocked out former WBC world heavyweight champion Oleg Maskaev inside one round – a major shock at the time – and last time out, in September, Aguilera travelled to Poland to spring a surprise on highly-fancied Marcin Rekowski inside ten rounds; with 14 big knockouts from 20 career wins, he can clearly punch and is well-accustomed to upsetting the applecart.
Aguilera has also provided stern tests for the likes of Tomasz Adamek, Chris Arreola, Antonio Tarver and Dominic Breazeale, and will no doubt come to London full of ambition, keen to build on his promising recent form.
“We had a number of top-class opponents lined up to face Hughie, but, despite being offered great money, they wouldn’t sign,” said Peter Fury, Hughie’s father and trainer. “We decided to take the Aguilera fight because the WBC were happy to sanction it as a WBC International heavyweight title fight and we see it as a genuine test; the fact the WBC sanctioned the contest, and turned down others put to them, shows what they think of Aguilera as an opponent.
“Nobody who has boxed Aguilera has ever had an easy time with him. He’s given them all a hard fight. Even the Olympian Breazeale was given all he could handle for eight rounds. Aguilera gave him fits. He also troubled Adamek and had an absolute war with Arreola.
“He can punch, he comes forward, he’s aggressive, he’s got a jab and some good boxing ability, too. He’s probably a bit too game for his own good at times but he’s by far the best opponent Hughie has faced.
“We’re talking about a guy who comes and gives his all. He will come to win. He’s got ambitions of his own and he’s confident he can do the business on March 26. He’s a dangerman, the kind of guy nobody wants to face.”
Fury, meanwhile, is eight years Aguilera’s junior at 21 and is stepping up to 12-round level for the first time in his promising career. Cousin of world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, Hughie, 18-0 (10 KOs), has excelled over ten rounds in recent times, schooling both Andriy Rudenko and George Arias over that distance, but now feels he is ready to start grabbing titles and climbing the various world rankings.
The ascent begins with Aguilera on March 26 and Peter Fury, the man masterminding his son’s career, is only too aware of the potential danger up ahead.
“Marcin Rekowski was in camp with us for one of Tyson’s fights,” he said. “He was a sparring partner for roughly two months. He was a very, very tough man and super fit. He lived and breathed boxing. He ate all the right foods, trained properly and did everything to the letter. A consummate professional. He could really fight, too.
“The fact that Nagy Aguilera went to Poland and took Rekowski out in the tenth round tells me what kind of man he is. He would have gone to war with Rekowski, who is aggressive and fit, and then come through it and stopped him. That makes him extremely dangerous; he’s a serious challenge for anyone out there.”
*** Tickets for the British middleweight title blockbuster between Nick ‘Bang Bang’ Blackwell and Chris Eubank Jr. are on sale now!
Tickets are priced at £35, £50, £75, £175, £200 and £250 for ringside and can be purchased online at ssearena.co.uk and axs.com or by phoning the SSE Arena, Wembley Box Office on 0844 815 0815 ***
