By Geno McGahee
Heavyweight fringe contender, Alexander Ustinov, 34-3, 25 KO’s, was knocked out of the championship picture by former cruiserweight, Michael Hunter, 16-1, 11 KO’s, in a very ugly fight. Ustinov is known for his mauling style, where he uses his size and girth to exhaust the opposition en route to a late knockout. It didn’t work here, but it made it a very hard fight to watch.
Hunter kept getting caught and held onto by the giant and was unable to make the room needed to unload his punches. It became the same dance over and over again as Hunter lunged in with a right hand, land it or miss, and then be held until the referee broke up the action. Hunter was able to pile up the points and win nearly every round heading into the later part of the fight. In the eighth round, Hunter made room and landed some punches, including three straight right hands, sending Ustinov down hard. He got up, wobbly, but the referee let the fight continue.
In the ninth, Hunter pounced and landed more shots, including a left hook that dropped Ustinov, prompting the referee to waive the fight off. It will be nice to see Hunter fight an opponent that wants to be there and wants to fight. Hunter worked with what he had but there was only one fighter in the ring tonight.
