Hughie Fury beaten on points by Kubrat Pulev in final eliminator

Hughie Fury has now lost two of his past three fights on points

Hughie Fury's hopes of a title fight against unbeaten world champion Anthony Joshua were quashed as Kubrat Pulev won their IBF final eliminator in Bulgaria.

Briton Fury, 24, suffered a badly cut left eye in round two and home fighter Pulev, in his first bout for 18 months, won by unanimous points decision.

The judges returned a verdict of 117-111, 118-110, 115-113 in Sofia.

In London, John Ryder beat Andrey Sirotkin in a WBA super-middleweight world title eliminator.

Briton Ryder, 30, got the better of an even contest, raising the tempo when it mattered to stop 33-year-old Russian Sirotkin in the seventh round.

Also in London, Ted Cheeseman beat Asinia Byfield by a unanimous decision for the vacant British super-welterweight belt.

Unbeaten Cheeseman, 23, floored Byfield with a right in the fifth round and it needed impressive resilience from the 29-year-old to take it to the full 12 rounds.

The judges scored it 117-110 and 117-111 twice to confirm the Reading fighter's second defeat.

In New York, Daniel Jacobs claimed the vacant IBF middleweight belt with a split decision victory over Sergiy Derevyanchenko, who he shares a manager and trainer with.

American Jacobs edged the card after 12 rounds - the judges marking the fight 113-114, 115-112, 115-112 in his favour.

The victory makes Jacobs the leading contender for Canelo Alvarez's first defence of the WBC and WBA world middleweight titles he won against Gennady Golovkin in September.

Also in the United States, British fighter Terry Flanagan lost to home crowd favourite Regis Prograis in New Orleans.

Prograis produced an assured display to beat Manchester's Flanagan on points - 119-108, 118-109, 117-110 - and book his place in the last four of the World Boxing Super Series.