'Hughie Fury feels like he would have Daniel Dubois' number,' says BOXXER's Ben Shalom. He explains why beating Michael Hunter can lead to all-British heavyweight clash
Tuesday 14 June 2022 16:23, UK
Hughie Fury could secure a WBA title bout with UK rival Daniel Dubois if he wins his eliminator against Michael Hunter next month, says promoter Ben Shalom.
If Fury wins his next fight with American opponent Michael Hunter, to be shown live on Sky Sports on July 2, he will target Dubois after that.
Dubois knocked out Trevor Bryan in Miami last weekend to net the WBA's secondary title (Oleksandr Usyk is the organisation's Super champion). Hunter was rated second in the WBA's most recent heavyweight rankings. A victory over the American next month would help Fury force a shot at the belt Dubois holds.
"We feel that's a fight we want to make, we've been given assurances by the WBA that that is ordered, winner will fight winner," BOXXER promoter Ben Shalom explained. "We'll do our job [against Hunter] and the winner of Fury-Hunter will fight Dubois.
"Hughie wants the Daniel Dubois fight, he feels like he would have his number," he continued. "That's a fight we're looking to make."
Shalom is eyeing that fight for this autumn. But Fury must win on July 2 in Manchester.
"Michael Hunter is an extremely tough fight, I know how up for it he is, he's training extremely hard," Shalom warned. "You never see anybody calling out Michael Hunter. When he went to the 2012 Olympics it was widely considered he would go on and do amazing things in the sport.
"The fact that [Hughie] still wants the big fights and doesn't say 'I want an easy touch', he's fighting a guy that everybody avoids."
Hunter is a tricky opponent. He previously upset Martin Bakole, who recently beat Olympic gold medallist Tony Yoka, and could have come away with more than a draw when he fought Alexander Povetkin in 2019. The last man to beat him was none other than unified champion Oleksandr Usyk.
"With the Bakole win last week [and] Usyk reigning supreme in the heavyweight division, it just shows what a great fighter Michael Hunter is and can be," Shalom pointed out. "But Hughie is willing to take it on."
Victory will be a statement for Fury. "There was a lot of pressure on us to deliver for Hughie, he is a friend, a serious fighting man," Shalom said. "I feel like the criticism Hughie Fury gets is ridiculous given why do we want to stop fighters taking tough fights?
"He's a young heavyweight that has been in there with some of the best and the criticism he gets is incredible.
"I hope at one point people turn around and go, 'Look at his resume, look what he's done at his age' and he's still improving and I expect it to be an amazing fight between two fighters who have it all to gain and all to lose as well."
Hughie Fury will take on heavyweight rival Michael Hunter at the AO Arena Manchester on July 2, live on Sky Sports.
