Fight Announcement: Hughie Fury vs. Michael Hunter
Hughie Fury and Michael Hunter II will be fighting on July 2, 2022 at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. The bout was announced by Sky Sports Boxing today and will be an eliminator fight for the WBA World Heavyweight Title.
𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐃! @HughieFury and @MichaelHunterII will face off in a WBA world heavyweight title eliminator on July 2, live on Sky Sports 🔥
🤜 @Boxxer | #FuryHunter https://t.co/Db2NhFXGUx
Hughie Fury, of Manchester, has a record of 26-3-0 while Michael Hunter II, of Nevada, has a record of 20-1-2. Both men fought in late 2021. In October, Fury stopped Christian Hammer in the fifth round. In December, Hunter and Jerry Forrest fought to a split-decision draw.
Hunter stepped into the ring with the reigning current pound-for-pound number one, Oleksandr Usyk, in 2017 but lost via unanimous decision. Fury challenged Joseph Parker for the WBO Heavyweight World Title in 2017. He, too, lost the bout.
Hughie Fury vs. Michael Hunter II
Michael Hunter II was a 2012 Olympian. He did not win a medal and turned professional the following year. His father, Michael Hunter, was a heavyweight boxer who fought Oliver McCall and Dwight Muhammad Qawi. He passed away in 2006.
Hughie Fury is also from a well-known boxing family. Two of his cousins, Tyson and Tommy Fury, are both professional boxers. Tyson is the current WBC Heavyweight Champion. Hughie's father, Peter Fury, is a boxing trainer. His uncle John is a former bareknuckle and professional boxer.
#FuryHunter is ON ‼️
July 2nd 🗓
Manchester 🇬🇧
Sky Sports 📺
Who are you picking? ⬇️ https://t.co/sFu5eBlncN
Both men are talented contenders in the division, though they have not managed to secure a place among its top-tier and both have lost their previous title fights. The eliminator bout comes at a complicated time in heavyweight boxing.
The winner of the Fury-Hunter fight should eventually end up with another shot at the title. However, the current WBA Champion is Oleksandr Usyk, who defeated Michael Hunter II in 2017. Usyk is currently scheduled to fight Anthony Joshua later this year. Hence, the winner of July's match will likely expect to challenge either Joshua or Usyk for the title.
However, the prospective title bout may be disrupted if Tyson Fury, the reigning WBC Heavyweight Champion, is offered a unification bout with the winner of Usyk vs Joshua.