Hunter: "I'm a Fighter Like Usyk"

In an interview with TalkSPORT, 35-year-old American heavyweight Michael Hunter (21-1-2, 15 KOs) discussed the challenges he has faced throughout his career and compared himself to the holder of the WBO, WBA, IBO, and IBF titles, Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs).

"I was supposed to fight on Sky Sports, but they couldn't organize the fight. I've had the same problem throughout my career – nobody really wants to fight me, and so it costs me fights. That's why many say I'm high risk for low reward. But fighting me really carries more risk than reward. You might make a million dollars fighting me, but will you get another fight after it? So I think it's about the risk and how I fight, my style. I'm a fighter like Usyk. I'm not a big heavyweight, but I'm someone who will drown you. The only difference between me and Usyk, in my opinion, is I can punch a bit harder. I'm a bit more aggressive. Heavyweights want to be knocked out and then wake up and say, 'Hey man, I got caught with a good shot.' They don't want to drown and look to their coach to throw in a life preserver. That's why I think that's been my problem. But I have some interesting things in the works. I should be back in the ring soon," said Hunter.

In April 2017, Michael Hunter faced Oleksandr Usyk and lost by unanimous decision. Hunter last fought in September of the previous year against Miguel Cubos (14-25-1, 11 KOs) and won by technical knockout. Before that fight, Hunter had not fought for almost 2 years – since December 2021, when his fight with American Jerry Forrest (27-6-2, 20 KOs) ended in a draw.