NEW YORK – Michael Hunter thinks the judges scored his amateur fight against Mike Wilson closer than Wilson deserved.
The heavyweight contender made sure the judges weren’t involved in the outcome of their professional fight Tuesday night. Las Vegas’ Hunter knocked out Wilson in the fourth round of a scheduled 10-rounder Triller Fight Club streamed from Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater.
Hunter (20-1-1, 14 KOs) stopped Wilson at 2:49 of the fourth round, once referee Ricky Gonzalez determined a battered, bloodied Wilson shouldn’t continue.
The 38-year-old Wilson (21-2, 10 KOs), a blown-up cruiserweight who tried to avenge a close points loss to Hunter in an Olympic qualifying tournament in 2007, lost by knockout for the first time as a pro.
Hunter, a 2012 U.S. Olympian, wobbled Wilson with separate right hands in the second half of the fourth round. Another right by Hunter finally floored Wilson with 30 seconds to go in the fourth round.
Wilson, mad at himself, cursed before he beat Gonzalez’s count. Gonzalez didn’t like the way Wilson answered his commands once he was on his feet, though, and stopped the fight.
A left hook by Hunter got Wilson’s attention just before the halfway point of the third round. Hunter landed a hard right to Wilson’s body in the final minute of the third round.
Hunter drilled Wilson with a picturesque right hand toward the end of the third round. He also
Hunter showboated for much of the second round and threw a lot of hard, wild shots at Wilson. Toward the end of the second round, however, Hunter caught Wilson with an impactful right hand amid a flurry of punches.
Wilson held on to make it to the end of the second round.
Hunter stunned Wilson with a right hand in the opening minute of their bout, but Wilson fired back with a right hand of his own that got Hunter’s attention.
Another right hand by Hunter buzzed Wilson with just over a minute to go in the first round. A left hook by Hunter later in the first round backed up Wilson.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.