Hughie Fury camp plan legal action to overturn Joseph Parker defeat

Kiw Joseph Parker, right, battles Hughie Fury during their WBO heavyweight title bout. Photo / AP

Hughie Fury's loss on points in his first heavyweight title attempt against New Zealander Joseph Parker has been overshadowed by news that his team are planning to take legal action over the scoring of the World Boxing Organisation bout in Manchester.

Mick Hennessy, Fury's promoter, on Sunday accused "dark forces" of conspiring against Fury, the cousin of former world champion Tyson Fury. Two of the judges at ringside scored it 118-110 - effectively 10 rounds to two in favour of the New Zealander - with a third making it a 114-114 draw.

Team Fury believe a conspiracy is at work against them and that their boxers - Hughie and Tyson Fury - are victims of a witch hunt.

Hennessy claimed Fury's legal team would "protest and overturn" the result by appealing to the WBO over the scores, and said Fury's jab and move tactics had "shades of [Muhammad] Ali". A rematch would be the "worst-case scenario", according to Hennessy who added: "I'm going to get that overturned. I'm going to find out who's behind boxing decisions like this.

"I know corruption is a strong word, but I tell you now, there are forces at work around this game. We will put in an appeal and protest as strongly as we can. A rematch has to be a worst-case scenario - we want this overturned. I thought it was a masterclass by Fury. I thought he wiped the floor with him. He was gliding round the ring hitting him with jabs at will - it was shades of Ali the way he was moving."

Hennessy said there was "100 per cent, definitely" an agenda against the Fury family, but Peter Fury, father and trainer to Saturday night's challenger, was less certain that a legal team would change the outcome. Fury Snr told The Daily Telegraph recently that he believes there is "a witch hunt" over Tyson Fury, currently exiled from the sport and awaiting a postponed UK Anti-Doping hearing.

And on Saturday's result, he said: "I had Hughie at least four rounds ahead because Parker was swinging and missing. Hughie has had a very bad decision."

The 118-110 score could be seen as wide with some bias, but the 23-year-old Lancastrian may rue not being more aggressive. Parker certainly thought so. "I put on a lot of pressure and landed some big shots," he said. "It was a close fight, but I thought I came out on top. Hughie didn't hurt me."

The positive for Fury is that he looked good after 17 months out of the ring due to a skin disorder and can come back for another try.

The same could be said of Luke Campbell, 2012 Olympic gold medallist, who fought to a split decision loss in his WBA lightweight world title bid against champion Jorge Linares in California. "I thought I won," said the Englishman.