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Usyk Defeats Hunter in a Tough 12-Round Bout

In a fight that went the distance (and probably shouldn’t have), Aleksandr Usyk defeated American Olympian Michael Hunter by a wide unanimous decision.

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All photos by Marilyn Paulino/RBRBoxing

In a fight that went the distance (and probably shouldn’t have), Aleksandr Usyk (12-0, 10 KOs) defeated American Olympian Michael Hunter (12-1, 8 KOs) by a wide unanimous decision.

Usyk started slow in his trademark style and it looked as though Hunter might have a fighting chance down the line, but in the fourth round, Usyk came on with hard body shots and the trend continued for the next eight rounds.

While the performance wasn’t particularly impressive—Usyk had difficulties to land on Hunter for the first half of the fight, and Hunter was coming off a long layoff and was a wide underdog—Usyk retained his crown and continued his rise as one of the best talents in an absolutely stacked Cruiserweight division.

The final round was of note as it saw Hunter being pounded on the ropes repeatedly without the referee even considering a stoppage.

Hunter went the distance, but neither the referee nor the corner team considered the young fighter’s health.

After the fight, Usyk acknowledged just how tough Hunter was.

“One of the best fightes I’ve ever fought, amateur or professional. Once I had him hurt, I just kept throwing punches. He was a great fighter,” said Usyk.

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