Giorgio Visioli survived a difficult eighth round and a stronger late effort from Maxi Hughes to claim a majority decision over 10 rounds on Saturday, October 24, at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield.

Two judges scored it 96-94 for Visioli, while the third returned a 95-95 draw. The 23-year-old improved to 12-0 with six knockouts, taking the vacant WBC International Silver lightweight title on the Dalton Smith vs. Alberto Puello undercard, live on DAZN.

Hughes dropped to 29-10-2 with six knockouts, but the 36-year-old made Visioli work for a victory that remained in doubt entering the final round.

The meeting of southpaws produced a cautious, technical contest with little sustained action. Hughes found clean shots early, including a flush punch late in the opening round, while Visioli used movement and combinations to build his case in closely contested rounds.

Visioli generally looked the fresher fighter, but he struggled to separate himself from an opponent who understood how to keep the action tight. Hughes’ experience prevented the younger man from turning his quicker bursts into prolonged control.

The eighth was Hughes’ strongest round. He connected with a right-left combination, landed a hard left to the body and opened a cut above Visioli’s left eye with a jab. Visioli looked unsettled during that spell, giving Hughes an opportunity to change the direction of the fight.

Hughes became more effective as the contest progressed. Visioli’s output dropped in the later stages, leaving him with less room for error and making the 10th an important round on the scorecards. Neither fighter scored a knockdown.

Visioli had targeted a stoppage beforehand. Instead, he needed the full distance and two narrow cards to get past a veteran returning to lightweight after his March defeat against Pierce O’Leary at 140 pounds.

Hughes’ team was unhappy with the scoring. The margins reflected a fight in which several rounds contained relatively little to split the pair, with Visioli’s combinations competing against Hughes’ cleaner individual connections and late success.

Having relinquished his English lightweight title to take this bout, Visioli leaves with another belt and a win over his most experienced opponent. The matchup had been billed as a step up from domestic opposition. World Boxing Council

It also supplied reasons to proceed carefully. Hughes exposed areas Visioli must improve, particularly maintaining his output late and responding when an experienced opponent starts finding him. Visioli passed the test, but Hughes made it a much closer examination than the prospect had intended.