Former cruiserweight title challenger and now heavyweight title threat Michael Hunter returned to action at the weekend, but there was a shock outcome that occured.
‘The Bounty’ challenged Oleksandr Usyk for the WBO cruiserweight title in 2017, where defeat prompted a move up to the sport’s glamour division and after wins against the likes of Martin Bakole and Sergey Kuzmin, as well as a draw with Alexander Povetkin, it appeared as though Hunter would be due a shot with some major names.
However, an underwhelming draw to Jerry Forrest and two cancelled fights with Hughie Fury has left Hunter stagnant in the division and rendered him a forgotten man to most current contenders.
In September, Hunter finally made his comeback after a two year hiatus and knocked out Miguel Cubos and followed up the win with another stoppage against Ignacio Esparza last month, to let out a signal to the heavyweight division and show that he was determined to re-emerge as a threat to the throne.
Three weeks on from his victory, the American travelled to Uzbekistan to fight Artem Suslenkov on IBA Champions’ night but suffered a shock unanimous decision defeat to the Russian.
On social media, Hunter claimed that the bout was an exhibition, as he called for a rematch with Martin Bakole.
“[Martin Bakole] never responds to my call out. It’s an exhibition you big bum.”
Bakole is ranked as the number one contender with the WBA, meaning another win for Hunter would thrust him into contention for both Manuel Charr’s WBA Regular title, which consequently could position him a shot at the full world title, currently held by Usyk.
