MICHAEL Hunter is eager to claw himself out of the Who Needs Him Club, hoping to secure two meaningful fights before 2025 comes to pass.
‘The Bounty’ has never quite been able to shake off his label as a high risk but low reward contender, forcing him to search far and wide for each opportunity.
But now, it would appear that his traditionally poor luck is beginning to turn, as heavyweight matchups with Fabio Wardley and Kubrat Pulev remain firmly on his mind.
His showdown with WBA ‘regular’ champion Pulev was set to take place on August 23, only for notorious promoter Don King to steer their not so steady ship deeper into the fog.
A specific venue, too, is still yet to emerge, while Pulev, who claimed a points victory over Mahmoud Charr last December, seemingly continues to drag his heels.
But even so, Hunter, 24-1-2 (17 KOs), remains convinced that they will duke it out in September, before he enters a far more appealing clash with Wardley, 19-0-1 (18 KOs), later this year.
Wardley seized his WBA ‘interim’ strap following a stunning 10th-round finish over Justis Huni, clinching victory from the jaws of defeat at Portman Road, Ipswich, last month.
Hunter, meanwhile, has expressed a willingness to face the dynamite puncher in his back yard, looking to become the mandatory challenger for the winner of Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois 2 this Saturday.
“It was a four-man tournament – the winner of Fabio Wardley vs Justis Huni fights the winner of me against Kubrat Pulev,” Hunter told Boxing News.
“Don King won the purse bid [for the Pulev fight], so we’re just waiting for him to give us a venue.
“August 23 was the original date, but it’ll probably get pushed back by around two weeks.
“Then, after that, hopefully I can come and fight Fabio Wardley in Ipswich. Fabio said for me to get my fight [against Pulev] done, and then we’ll see each other in the ring.
“They [the WBA] want to get my fight with Fabio Wardley done by the end of this year.”
Before he sets his fights on a potential dustup with Wardley, Hunter must first nail down Pulev who, contrary to his style in the ring, has proved an elusive target in recent weeks.
“He’s been trying to run, and has sent the WBA excuses for why we shouldn’t be fighting, trying to pull me out of the rankings so that he doesn’t have to fight me for the mandatory position,” the 37-year-old said.
“Pulev wants one of these big paydays in Riyadh [Saudi Arabia] – he’ll only have one more fight, and then he’s probably done.
“But everything’s already set [for Pulev vs Hunter], and it’s only a matter of time [before it happens]. He can run, but he can’t hide.”
Hunter’s only professional defeat arrived against Usyk back in 2017, and the American has since claimed notable victories against Martin Bakole and Sergey Kuzmin, before boxing to a draw against Alexander Povetkin.
