World-ranked heavyweight Michael ‘The Bounty’ Hunter II was handed a title as the WBA crowned yet another champion in the top division.
Hunter (20-1-1, 14 KOs) knocked out Mike Wilson (21-2, 10 KOs) in the fourth round (2:49) of their scheduled ten-round bout.
The American was competing in a WBA Heavyweight World Title Eliminator. He looked sharp from the outset displaying his full arsenal of power shots to the head and body of the valiant Wilson.
Boasting the belt afterward, which wasn’t made clear what it was for, Hunter adds his name to four other belt-holders on the WBA list.
HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONS
Anthony Joshua (super champion), Trevor Bryan (secondary champion), Mahmoud Charr (champion in recess), and Robert Helenius (gold champion) are the others.
By the looks of it, Hunter may even be some interim ruler. That should become clearer soon.
Anyway, Hunter badly hurt Wilson in the fourth stanza before landing a sensational right hand to the Oregonian’s jaw and dropping him hard to the canvas.
Although rising to beat the count, referee Ricky Gonzalez called a halt to the action at the 2:49 mark of the round.
OTHER RESULTS
Fighting in the heavyweight division, Brooklyn’s Robert Sabbagh improved to 3-0. Sabbagh scored a four-round unanimous decision over Cleveland Billingsley III (3-6, 3 KOs) of Chattanooga, TN.
Scores for the impressive victory over the valiant Billingsley were 40-36 twice and 39-37.
Opening the show fighting in a tremendous battle of undefeated super welterweight prospects was Guido Schramm (12-0-1, 8 KOs), Los Angeles, CA. He won a six-round unanimous decision over Nikoloz Sekhniashvili (7-1, 5 KOs) of Gori, Georgia.
Scores for the fight, which featured excellent two-way action throughout, were 59-55, 58-56, and 58-55 for Schramm. Both combatants raised their stock.
Undefeated light-heavyweight prospect Matthew Tinker (7-0, 6 KOs), of Yorkshire, UK, stopped Utica, New York’s Michael Rycraft (4-2-1, 3 KOs). He won by technical knockout.
Following two rounds of one-way traffic from Tinker, Rycraft’s corner stopped the bout before the third stanza started.
