In a move that’s raised many eyebrows in the boxing world, Hughie Fury has assigned himself the dangerous task of fighting Russian knockout artist, Alexander Povetkin.

The bout will take place on the undercard of Vasyl Lomachenko vs Luke Campbell, at the O2 Arena in London. With it being a Box Office event, the stakes are high as Hughie is well aware that a decisive victory here could open up many opportunities going forward.

His father and trainer, Peter Fury, has long desired a stern test to prove his young charge is more than capable of hanging with the world’s best. Speaking to Sky Sports, he envisages a bout that will force Hughie into tough moments:

“I’m looking forward to him now taking that next step. He can go 12 rounds, we’ve seen that many times, he does the distance very well, but I want to see more aggression out of him, I want to see him more on the front foot, more crowd pleasing. To do that, he’s got to put his hands up, take a few and give a few. That’s the way it is.”

But it’s not a challenge the 24 year old is unfamiliar with. Despite his young age, Hughie has already experienced two high-profiled fights at world level. The first saw him very nearly become the WBO heavyweight champion when he challenged New Zealand’s Joseph Parker. A close points decision loss (which many felt he deserved a win) served only to fuel the belief he belonged at the highest level. But this mission to become world champion endured another brief setback when Hughie suffered a debilitating eye injury during his points loss to Kubrat Pulev last October.

Now fully healed and with two warm-up bouts under his belt, Hughie is wasting no time in making amends for those two losses. Alexander Povetkin, a devastating puncher, brings with him an extensive amateur pedigree and pro experience to ask Hughie the much-needed questions about his ability.

Watch Hughie Fury against Alexander Povetkin on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Luke Campbell bill at The O2 on August 31, live on Sky Sports Box Office