Michael Hunter is set for his ring return, though the direction is the latest head scratcher in his bizarre career.
The second-generation heavyweight is confirmed to next face England’s Eli “Fat Boy” Frankham on December 5 from Bethnal Green’s famed York Hall. The bout was confirmed by businessman and boxing entrepreneur William Storey, whose Rich Energy company will co-sponsor the event along with Rx Sports, LLC.
Details surrounding the show are limited, though with the promise of “an explosive undercard” to come.
“America's number one heavyweight [Michael Hunter II] is the most avoided man in the division,” Rich Energy declared in its announcement. “He knocked out [Martin] Bakole & [Alexander] Ustinov, pushed [two-division undisputed champion Oleksandr] Usyk, dominated [Alexander] Povetkin & has bullied [former two-time unified heavyweight titlist Anthony] Joshua in sparring.
“Now he faces undefeated & fearless [Eli Frankham] in an explosive clash in London Dec 5th.”
Frankham is listed as 8-0 (5 KOs) on the fight poster and his social media accounts.
Official records keeper BoxRec lists the 32-year-old British heavyweight at 3-0 (0 KOs) and inactive since 2020.
His other five bouts – all which ended in knockout – were fought under the supervision of the British & Irish Boxing Authority (BIBA). The most recent win on that circuit came in a 1st round knockout of Simon Edwards on October 4 in Liverpool, England.
Hunter, 24-2-2 (17 KOs) will enter his first fight of 2025, though whether it shows up on his official record remains to be seen. The 37-year-old, Las Vegas-based heavyweight has been out of the ring since a 5th round knockout of journeyman Christian Larrondo Garcia last December 8 in Tiaquepaque, Mexico.
The bout was his fourth of 2024. His campaign included a ten-round shutout of Cassius Chaney on June 7, less than two months after he dropped an 8-round, unanimous decision to Artem Suslenkov on an April 2024 IBA Pro boxing show.
As previously reported by BoxingScene, Hunter was in line to challenge secondary WBA titlist Kubrat Pulev on two separate occasions in 2025. A purse bid won by Hall of Fame promoter Don King called for the fight to take place in August and then October 4.
Hunter claimed the fight was dead on arrival and instead sought to face Jarrell Miller on a September 11 show presented by Turki Alalshikh’s Ring Magazine on DAZN ahead of the Terence Crawford-Saul “Canelo” Alvarez Netflix event later that week. The fight was scrapped before event handlers ever had the chance to formally announce it.
Hunter was once again summoned to face Pulev per a WBA ruling but failed to honor the order. The chain events led to his being removed as WBA mandatory.
His name then resurfaced on Tuesday, attached to this announced event which is pretty on brand for his pro journey. The 37-year-old son of the late Michael Hunter Snr, a formidable heavyweight during the 1980s and 1990s, Hunter once challenged for Oleksandr Usyk’s WBO cruiserweight title. He gave the Ukrainian southpaw a stiff test but dropped a competitive decision in their April 2017 battle.
The bout was Hunter’s last at cruiserweight. He is just 12-1-2 (9 KOs) in the eight-plus years that have followed. His career highlights a 10th round stoppage of Martin Bakole in 2018 and a dominant 12-round, unanimous decision over Sergey Kuzmin in September 2019. Both boxers were undefeated when they met Hunter, who quickly emerged as a heavyweight threat.
That reputation remained intact after a strong showing in a December 2019 draw with secondary titlist Alexander Povetkin in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.
Hunter’s career never seemed to get back on track since the pandemic.
His name was attached to several notable opportunities – mostly involving WBA-sanctioned secondary title fights, though none of which came to fruition. A December 2021 draw with Jerry Forrest seemed to end Hunter’s time as a legitimate contender.
Nothing he has done since then – including his being linked to this latest show – has changed public perception in his favor.
Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as a senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home. Follow Jake on X and Instagram.
