DIRIYAH, Saudi Arabia — Michael Hunter always knew that Andy Ruiz Jr. was going to be a problem for Anthony Joshua. Hunter — who faces Alexander Povetkin in the co-main event of Ruiz-Joshua 2 on Saturday — has fought Ruiz in the amateurs and sparred with him many times over the past few years.
So, when Ruiz stopped Joshua to become the unified heavyweight champion back in June, Hunter wasn’t surprised. It also gave him even more reason to believe that he’s on the cusp of being the next big thing in the heavyweight division.
“I fought Andy Ruiz in the amateurs and worked with him on other camps, getting him ready for other fights. I already knew that this dude was nothing to play with,” Hunter (18-1, 12 KOs) told DAZN News. “To me, he’s always been the better fighter. When it comes to exchanging punches, he’s going to beat Joshua all day long. And being at this last camp verified it.”
The two spent over 20 rounds in the ring preparing one another for their respective fights on Saturday at Diriyah Arena. Hunter, who is already confident that he’s a top-five heavyweight, has only seen vast improvements in both himself and Ruiz. He expects Ruiz to duplicate the feat against Joshua while catapulting himself into title contention with a spectacular performance against Povetkin (35-2, 24 KOs).
“I would have to get the stoppage, which I plan on doing,” Hunter said when asked what he needs to do Saturday to truly put himself on the map with fans. “I don’t think I can get that attention by winning a split decision. I need to knock him out. He’s only been stopped one time, so to have a stoppage under my belt would make it very hard to deny me.”
Since coming up from cruiserweight and training as a heavyweight under Hasim Rahman, Hunter has made some noise with his speed and technical savvy. The brutal beating he handed to Fabio Maldonado back in May was followed by a one-sided boxing lesson he served to Sergey Kuzmin in September. Povetkin certainly stands as his toughest test since moving up to heavyweight, but he’s quite confident that he can follow Joshua as the second man to finish the rugged Russian.
“I plan on poking the lion with the jab, and once he starts losing steam, it’s time to skin him,” Hunter explained of how he plans to finish Povetkin. “I don’t use my jab just for openings. I want to punish him with it. I’ll just pepper him until he’s nice and seasoned. Then it’s time to take him out.”
A knockout victory would certainly put Hunter into the conversation for title contention. But the former cruiserweight will be looking up as the heavyweight division is filled with giants. Joshua stands at 6-6, Deontay Wilder is 6-7 and Tyson Fury towers at 6-9. Hunter is at a disadvantage being 6-2 but, like his sparring partner Ruiz, it will be the skills he possesses that take him to the top.
“My skills are much more polished than the rest of the heavyweights and my boxing IQ is bar none,” Hunter said. “What I lack in height I make up for with both heart and skill. Honestly, my speed is what presents a real problem for these heavyweights.”
Hunter takes great pride in making his opponents uncomfortable. No matter what the man standing across the ring plans to do, Hunter is ready to force them into reconsidering their strategy. It’s a tactic that worked for Ruiz against Joshua, and he plans to do the same to Povetkin and every other heavyweight moving forward.
“These heavyweights don’t really know what it’s like in there with me until it is too late,” he said. “They look at us as shorter fighters, but they can’t handle the pressure that is already coming at them. Andy Ruiz is very good at that as well, and I know it’s going to be a factor in the rematch. It’s going to be the same with me and Povetkin.”
Earlier, Hunter was asked who he thought the top heavyweights in the world were. After mentioning himself, he named Wilder, Fury and Ruiz. He conspicuously left out Joshua and explained why to DAZN News.
“I would say that he’s (a little overrated),” Hunter said. “A lot of heavyweights need a certain style to make them look good. I would still put him in my top 10, but he falls just under the top five. He’s been dethroned, and we’ll get to see where he’s really at on Saturday.”
As of right now, Hunter places himself above Joshua, and should both fighters win Saturday, he’s already been teased by Eddie Hearn with a possible showdown against the British fighter.
He called out Povetkin after he defeated Kuzmin, and it landed him on this card. Will he call out the winner of Ruiz-Joshua?
“I don’t know,” Hunter said with a smile. “I just want the best fights available, and I try not to get too far ahead of myself. I need to get through this fight, and then let’s see what the fans want. And if that’s a title shot, I’m definitely going to go for it.”