By Jake Donovan
From the moment he heard his name mentioned, Michael Hunter didn’t waste any time to ask if he was really in contention or just being used as bait. If there was a real chance to face Anthony Joshua, he wanted to make sure he was the first to apply for the job.
The Las Vegas-based heavyweight was never picked to replace Jarrell Miller for the June 1 assignment, but the selection process has made him more famous than at any other point in his career—which is never a bad thing when your next fight is just around the corner.
“It’s definitely a good thing,” Hunter (16-1, 11KOs) told BoxingScene.com of the newfound fame that’s otherwise long eluded his still young career. “Of course, this being boxing, there’s been plenty of negative comments to go along with the positive comments for any chance I had of fighting Anthony Joshua. But all publicity is good publicity.”
Andy Ruiz will go on to challenge the unbeaten Joshua for his slew of heavyweight titles, taking the place of Miller who was removed from the fold after testing positive for an array of banned substances. The California-based Mexican heavyweight emerged as the frontrunner mere days after his latest win, a Fox-televised 5th round knockout of Alexander Dimitrenko on April 20.
Prior to that point, the smart money seemed to be on Hunter whom just signed with Matchroom Boxing USA—whose flagship UK leg promotes Joshua (22-0, 21KOs). Hunter even immediately responded with a simple “Call me, Eddie” to a tweet from Eddie Hearn initially addressing Miller’s first failed drug test.
From there he became a candidate, even if the call that followed didn’t really produce anything of substance.
“We had preliminary talks, but nothing concrete,” admits Hunter, a 2012 U.S. Olympian and second-generation boxer whose late father and namesake was a mid-level heavyweight contender in the 1990s. “It’s not like they ever sent me a contract or a bout agreement. I think Eddie kind of used my name. I do believe he had intentions early on to give me the fight.
“Anthony Joshua has a great trainer (former middleweight contender Robert McCracken), he knows able styles and what’s good for his fighter. I think they came to the conclusion that they don’t want someone with my skills and movement.”
Instead they will get Ruiz, whom Hunter pummeled as an amateur in the opening round of the 2007 World Amateur Championships in Chicago, Ill.
It’s not a total loss, though; Hunter can still look forward to a May 25 date for his ring return. An opponent has yet to be named, although in fairness there’s still the pesky matter of formally announcing Joshua’s official replacement for the June 1 headliner at Madison Square Garden in New York City, which marks the U.S. debut for the unbeaten Brit and 2012 Olympic Gold medalist.
Hunter has a debut of his own, fighting for the first time under the Matchroom promotional umbrella and on sports streaming platform DAZN. He comes in riding a four-fight win streak, including a 6th round win over Alexander Ustinov last November in a bout he entered as a late replacement for unbeaten Zhilei Zhang.
All four wins have followed his lone loss, a 12-round decision defeat at the hands of cruiserweight king Oleksandr Usyk, whom will headline the May 25 card on which Hunter next appears. The show takes place at the very same venue—MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md.—as their April ’17 battle.
Returning to the scene of the crime, coupled with any lingering frustration over being snubbed in the Joshua sweepstakes only further motivates the heavyweight hopeful.
“The moment Joshua-Miller fell through, I’ve been training like I’m fighting Anthony Joshua,” insists Hunter. “Someone else now gets the brunt of all of that, whoever it may be. I’ve trained hard, nothing has changed. Once I found out it wasn’t happening, I turned up the intensity. I’m just hoping I get it eventually. Meanwhile, I'm still training like I'm fighting Joshua.”
At the very least, everybody knows who he is thanks to the free publicity from the past couple of weeks. Perhaps he becomes a more enticing candidate next time out and with another win under his belt.
“It was a great opportunity for my name to be out there, which it deserves to be,” notes Hunter. “It’s a good jumpstart to have my first fight after this situation. People will be interested to see what I can do in the ring and I’ll make sure to put on a show, and let them know I’m ready for a fight with Anthony Joshua or whoever they send my way.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox