Legendary promoter Don King has won the bid to stage the WBA regular heavyweight championship bout between Kubrat Pulev and Michael Hunter, putting up $1.1 million to secure the rights to the August contest.
The World Boxing Association had set a minimum bid of $1 million for the promotional rights, a figure many boxing insiders believed would be too steep for a matchup between fighters with limited mainstream appeal. King, however, wasn't deterred.
"Pulev and Hunter are exactly the kind of fighters boxing needs right now - talented heavyweights with something to prove," a source close to King's promotion said about the veteran promoter's interest in the bout.
The Bulgarian champion Pulev (32-3, 14 KOs) will defend his WBA regular heavyweight title against the American challenger Hunter (24-1-2, 17 KOs) on August 23 in the United States. The exact venue has yet to be announced. According to the terms, Pulev will pocket $825,000 while Hunter will take home $275,000 for the championship contest.
Interestingly, the fight will take place just days after King celebrates his 94th birthday on August 20. Talk about a birthday present to himself!
Hunter remains undefeated since suffering the lone loss of his professional career to Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk in April 2017, when they fought for the WBO cruiserweight championship. Since that setback, Hunter has rebuilt his career with impressive victories over formidable opponents including Yago Kiladze, Martin Bakole, and Alexander Ustinov.
According to analysts at Statbet, Hunter's punching power could be the decisive factor, as his knockout percentage significantly outpaces Pulev's despite the Bulgarian having more professional experience.
Can Hunter complete his journey back to the championship level, or will the more experienced Pulev retain his title? The boxing world will have its answer on August 23.
