Boxing
Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford undercard in turmoil as Don King threatens legal action
Itauma vs Whyte - Saturday - only on DAZN PPV
The plot continues to thicken around Michael Hunter’s next fight, with rival dates being announced in September and October in in the US.
In recent days, veteran promoter Don King claims to have issued a cease-and-desist order against TKO Holdings and SELA to stop the fight between Michael Hunter and Jarrell Miller, which is slated for 11 September in Las Vegas. The fight is part of the 'undercard week' in the runup to the long-awaited match between Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Terence Crawford.
The 93-year-old King, who has been sitting on the sidelines in boxing since his heydays in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, said that Hunter was still contracted to him. Earlier this month, it had been reported that he had won a $1.1m purse bid with the WBA to stage a fight in the US between Hunter, 24-1-2 (17), and Kubrat Pulev, 32-3 (14).
Now, King has announced that Hunter and Pulev will meet in Miami on 4 October in a match for the WBA heavyweight championship. In doing so, King says that he has a three-year contract with Hunter that was signed in February 2024.
King also alleges corruption and bribery but says that the WBA has agreed to go ahead with a championship bout between Hunter and Pulev. Therefore, he has arranged the October event to be held at the Jai-Alai Fronton Casino in Miami.
The evening’s action will also reportedly feature Adrien Broner, Blair Cobbs, and Noel Mikaelian.
In response, on a comment Instagram account on King’s post, Hunter said: “Fake news.”
Hunter has also posted on another of King’s post regarding the situation in recent days. When King posted about the cease-and-desist order, Hunter responded by telling people to watch him face Miller on 11 September. He also intimated that he would stop Miller in five rounds.
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Two days ago, Hunter also posted a document to his Instagram page, saying that he was no longer contractually tied to Don King Productions. Hunter says that he has not been obligated to Don King Productions since April.
Whatever the truth of the situation, it seems that this one is set to run.
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