Michael Hunter advertised his claims for big fights down the line with a crushing fourth-round knockout of Mike Wilson in New York on Tuesday night.
‘The Bounty’ (now 20-1-1) impressed on the Triller show by claiming an expected victory in what had been advertised beforehand as a WBA final eliminator.
Hunter talented and avoided
Hunter, 33 and hailing from California, is one of the world’s most talented heavyweights (ranked #8 by Furyjoshua.com in our latest rankings), is also one of the most avoided. He’s proved his ability to move up in weight since leaving cruiser, notably in a draw with the now-retired Alexander Povetkin in December 2019.
He has talked in recent weeks of a potential showdown with British star Dillian Whyte – himself set to fight in the United States in the coming months.
This fight was expected to be a simple assignment for Hunter in the Madison Square Garden Theater, against a 38-year-old who had been a career cruiserweight up to now.
The end was highlight-reel stuff from Hunter, a crushing overhand right with left Wilson on the canvas. He did get up but was clearly in no state to continue and the bout was waved off. Wilson falls to 21-2 with the loss.
???? @MichaelHunterII does it! WHAT A BRUTAL KNOCKOUT!
???? He stops Mike Wilson in the 4th round!
Missed #TrillerVerz? Catch the Replay via #FITE on Demand!
[ Watch: https://t.co/TFknpCzhcf ]@trillerfight @triller @verzuzonline @StarBoxing @loudibella pic.twitter.com/8kpbZHGTxB
— FITE (@FiteTV) August 4, 2021
Even before that brutal knockout blow, Hunter had dominated proceedings with blood already coming from the face of Wilson. The Hunter right landed regularly and powerfully, and he almost closed the show in Round 2. The third brought a similar story, and though Wilson again survived it the end was close.
As well as Whyte, another potential opponent for Hunter could be former heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. He returned in May to outpoint Chris Arreola, and a matchup with ‘The Bounty’ would be a fascinating prospect.
The heavyweight scene right now is booming – despite the on-off Fury vs Wilder 3 saga. Daniel Dubois fights in the U.S. later this month and then we have Joshua vs Usyk in September, followed we hope in early October by that long-awaited trilogy between ‘The Gypsy King’ and ‘The Bronze Bomber’.
