Michael Hunter II : The Heavyweight Sleeper

Michael Hunter II : The Heavyweight Sleeper

By Jordan Victor 

Michael Hunter II is an American professional boxer and former world title challenger, and the son of former heavyweight boxer Mike “The Bounty” Hunter. At 6ft 2in he is an imposing figure with a storied amateur career. Being a member of Team USA and beating the likes of Oscar Rivas along the way, Hunter was always predicted to do big things in the pro ranks. But things did not go the way many predicted for the cruiserweight sensation.

After starting his career with an undefeated record of 12-0, the American heavyweight stepped up to face the WBO cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. However, that night did not go to plan as Hunter ended up losing a gritty 12 round decision to the Ukrainian phenom, and with Usyk inline for a unification fight it seemed to many that Hunter’s time as a cruiserweight fighter had come to an end.

An to an end it came, as the former USA team member made his heavyweight debut a year later, with a 5-round knockout of heavyweight veteran Iago Kiladze in June 2018. After impressing that night it seemed that Hunter was inline for another big opportunity, and that is exactly what came as Hunter was booked to face undefeated heavyweight sensation Martin Bakole. It was a move that shocked many members of the boxing community as it meant Hunter had to travel into enemy territory. Fighting out of the United States for the first time in his professional career, the odds seemed stacked against Hunter. But once again the American rose to the occasion knocking out Bakole in the 10th round, in what many in the boxing world, deemed the most impressive performance of Hunters storied career.

After this performance, it was clear that Hunter was going to be a mainstay in the heavyweight division. In November 2018, Hunter then made his next heavyweight appearance, in which he destroyed the Russian Alexander Ustinov via knockout.

With all this success, Hunter then began to garner a lot of attention from many of the big-name promoters. Ultimately, Hunter decided to sign with Eddie Hearn under the Matchroom USA banner. Previously he had been confirmed to be in contention to face Anthony Joshua as a short notice replacement on June 1st. But in the end he has now been scheduled to face former UFC fighter and Brazilian veteran Fabio Maldonado on the Haney vs Moran undercard on May 25th. With a big opportunity once again, expect Hunter to make a huge statement on the night, as he looks to face one of his fellow Matchroom counterparts in the near future sometime in 2019.