HARTLEPOOL, England - Canadian fighter Steve Molitor knocked out Michael Hunter in the fifth round Friday night to win the vacant IBF super-bantamweight title.
The unbeaten Molitor, who hadn't fought for more than a year, was outboxed in the first few rounds but took charge in the fourth, flooring Hunter with a straight left.
In the fifth, Molitor put Hunter down again with a series of left hooks, and referee Phil Edwards counted the English fighter out at 1:32 of the round.
Molitor extended his record to 23-0, with nine KOs. Hunter fell to 26-1-1.
"This means the world to me. I've been waiting for this for 17 years," Molitor said. "It took me a while to get into the fight tonight. I had a bit of ring rust. He surprised me the way he came out boxing."
Hunter, fighting in front of his hometown fans at the Borough Hall, paid Molitor full credit.
"He caught me with a decent shot on the top of the head," he said. "I proved my worth, but he's a world class fighter."
