BoxRec

Michael Hunter-Christopher Lovejoy set for April 19 in Long Beach, California

A showdown of two once-beaten heavyweights will headline a card on April 19 in Long Beach, California. Michael “The Bounty” Hunter will meet Christopher Lovejoy in a scheduled eight-round fight.

The show will take place at Thunder Studios and stream live on wbcboxing.com.

Hunter, 24-1-2 (17 KOs), of Las Vegas is seeking his fifth straight victory as he attempts to build towards a heavyweight title opportunity. The 36-year-old Hunter is rated in the top 15 by two of the sanctioning bodies, including no. 2 by the WBA, and is coming off a 2024 in which he fought three times.

Hunter was recently named in a WBA resolution mandating “regular” titleholder Kubrat Pulev to face no. 1 contender Fabio Wardley, with the winner of that fight to face Hunter within 120 days.

"I’m coming into this fight with a knockout mentality,” said Hunter. “Lovejoy is tough, but I’m levels above him, and I’ll prove it on fight night. 2025 will be the year I’m crowned world champion.”

The 41-year-old Lovejoy, 20-1-1 (20 KOs), hails from Los Angeles. He is a professional of nine years but is oddly fighting in his home country for just the first time, having scored all of his victories in Mexico. Lovejoy last fought in March of 2023, drawing with a 4-8 boxer in Egypt. The lone recognizable name on his record is Mahmoud Charr, who knocked out Lovejoy in two rounds back in 2021.

"People have been doubting me, but I’m here to show I belong with the best,” said Lovejoy. “Hunter better be ready because I’m coming to take his spot."

The co-main event will feature Anthony Garnica, 12-0-1 (7 KOs), of Oakland, California facing former title challenger Aston Palicte, 28-7-1 (23 KOs), of Bago City, Philippines in an eight-round bantamweight fight.

The 24-year-old Garnica will be stepping up in class against a more experienced fighter who is ten years his senior, though Palicte has lost his last three fights by stoppage or knockout.

The rest of the card will include 2020 Mexican Olympian Brianda Tamara Cruz, 1-0, against an opponent to be named in a welterweight fight, plus junior welterweight Israel Mercado, 11-1-2 (7 KOs), lightweight Victor Manuel Lopez Gala, 6-1-1 (3 KOs), middleweight Raul Salomon, 14-2 (12 KOs), and bantamweight Chantel Navarro, 4-0 (3 KOs), all against opponents to be named.

Hunter has wasted away his career. Fight a real top 25 fighter.

tiny_acres wrote: ↑19 Mar 2025, 10:01 Hunter has wasted away his career. Fight a real top 25 fighter.

It's bizarre. He's going for the highest paid but super low risk fights he can get. Absolutely no idea what's he's doing. He has a win over Bakole who just fought for an interim title/final eliminator. He has a draw with Povetkin who went on to fight for an interim title.

joshj909 wrote: ↑19 Mar 2025, 12:45

tiny_acres wrote: ↑19 Mar 2025, 10:01 Hunter has wasted away his career. Fight a real top 25 fighter.

It's bizarre. He's going for the highest paid but super low risk fights he can get. Absolutely no idea what's he's doing. He has a win over Bakole who just fought for an interim title/final eliminator. He has a draw with Povetkin who went on to fight for an interim title.

I don't see how Lovejoy is a high paying fight
He needs to step up his game at this stage of his career. It's now or never

My pick is Lovejoy by decision. I see him dancing circles around Hunter for a lopsided win.

tiny_acres wrote: ↑19 Mar 2025, 14:32

joshj909 wrote: ↑19 Mar 2025, 12:45

tiny_acres wrote: ↑19 Mar 2025, 10:01 Hunter has wasted away his career. Fight a real top 25 fighter.

It's bizarre. He's going for the highest paid but super low risk fights he can get. Absolutely no idea what's he's doing. He has a win over Bakole who just fought for an interim title/final eliminator. He has a draw with Povetkin who went on to fight for an interim title.

I don't see how Lovejoy is a high paying fight
He needs to step up his game at this stage of his career. It's now or never

It's not a high paying fight but it pays better than any other guy ranked around #355. He's a known name to some people, even if he's known for being terrible. Hunter wants guys who show absolutely no threat.

Hunter's career is pants

Quite rate Hunter but he stumbles from one shit fight to another and this is no exception.
He seems to be in a permanent holding pattern.

joshj909 wrote: ↑19 Mar 2025, 16:20

tiny_acres wrote: ↑19 Mar 2025, 14:32

joshj909 wrote: ↑19 Mar 2025, 12:45

It's bizarre. He's going for the highest paid but super low risk fights he can get. Absolutely no idea what's he's doing. He has a win over Bakole who just fought for an interim title/final eliminator. He has a draw with Povetkin who went on to fight for an interim title.

I don't see how Lovejoy is a high paying fight
He needs to step up his game at this stage of his career. It's now or never

It's not a high paying fight but it pays better than any other guy ranked around #355. He's a known name to some people, even if he's known for being terrible. Hunter wants guys who show absolutely no threat.

To suggest Lovejoy is a 'name' in any context is truly ridiculous.

This is a gutter level matchup

funso banjo baby wrote: ↑23 Mar 2025, 03:52

joshj909 wrote: ↑19 Mar 2025, 16:20

tiny_acres wrote: ↑19 Mar 2025, 14:32


I don't see how Lovejoy is a high paying fight
He needs to step up his game at this stage of his career. It's now or never

It's not a high paying fight but it pays better than any other guy ranked around #355. He's a known name to some people, even if he's known for being terrible. Hunter wants guys who show absolutely no threat.

To suggest Lovejoy is a 'name' in any context is truly ridiculous.

This is a gutter level matchup

How many other heavyweights do you know the name of outside the top 300? It's not that he's a big name, it's that he's a bigger name than those around him.

I'm pretty sure Hunter would rather be fighting in SA for a bigger paycheck against a contender, but no rltoo ranked HW wants to fight him. Why would they? If they beat him then everyone jumps on the "he was nothing but an old blown up CW" bandwagon. And if they lose they drop into oblivion.

Hunter is a very dangerous opponent for most of these chubby, limited guys near the top because he actually knows how to fight and can punch a little bit. He TKFO of Bakole before Bakole got an over inflated opinion of himself and he started training at Golde Coral.

Hunter is much like his father who was inconsistent, but capable of beating just about anyone when he was prepared.

Hunter has bills to pay and can't wait years before a ranked HW is willing to take the risk. He's a poster child for the high risk low reward guys who often seem to "waste their career" due to no fault of their own.

joshj909 wrote: ↑23 Mar 2025, 04:05

funso banjo baby wrote: ↑23 Mar 2025, 03:52

joshj909 wrote: ↑19 Mar 2025, 16:20

It's not a high paying fight but it pays better than any other guy ranked around #355. He's a known name to some people, even if he's known for being terrible. Hunter wants guys who show absolutely no threat.

To suggest Lovejoy is a 'name' in any context is truly ridiculous.

This is a gutter level matchup

How many other heavyweights do you know the name of outside the top 300? It's not that he's a big name, it's that he's a bigger name than those around him.

Quite a few

He took a massive step backwards after the draw to Jerry Forest. And this isn't really anything is it?
A nothing fight rebuilding a guy who should have only had one fight like this after the draw/loss, not 5!
I question his motivation, it doesn't seem like he wants to step up. Some guys are just happy knocking over lower ranked opponents, like Wilder did for his first 30 odd fights.
Either way, I'm bored with him and won't be watching this.

KiwiRider wrote: ↑27 Mar 2025, 15:14 He took a massive step backwards after the draw to Jerry Forest. And this isn't really anything is it?
A nothing fight rebuilding a guy who should have only had one fight like this after the draw/loss, not 5!
I question his motivation, it doesn't seem like he wants to step up. Some guys are just happy knocking over lower ranked opponents, like Wilder did for his first 30 odd fights.
Either way, I'm bored with him and won't be watching this.

The problem is that every now and then he moans about not getting fights. He has also entered negotiations a couple of times with reasonable opposition, Hughie and I think there was someone else. He just doesn't have any urgency.

joshj909 wrote: ↑27 Mar 2025, 17:45

KiwiRider wrote: ↑27 Mar 2025, 15:14 He took a massive step backwards after the draw to Jerry Forest. And this isn't really anything is it?
A nothing fight rebuilding a guy who should have only had one fight like this after the draw/loss, not 5!
I question his motivation, it doesn't seem like he wants to step up. Some guys are just happy knocking over lower ranked opponents, like Wilder did for his first 30 odd fights.
Either way, I'm bored with him and won't be watching this.

The problem is that every now and then he moans about not getting fights. He has also entered negotiations a couple of times with reasonable opposition, Hughie and I think there was someone else. He just doesn't have any urgency.

If he's making money and ticking along, no worries, I'm just not interested.
I had him down as a contender, and losing to Uysk means nothing, at least he got to the finish conscious. But now, he would have to be fighting someone in the top #15 for me to watch.

Lovejoy was trying to get a fight with Shannon Briggs a while back, even at 55 or however old he is Briggs absolutely smashes Lovejoy to pieces and it would be great to see…

Surely this can’t e sanctioned.

Lovejoy isn’t even not area level… he isn’t even journeyman level. He just drew with a 47 year old Egyptian… got smashed by Charr

What's the deal here? Hunter was going to fight someone real I seen it...

Now its this Lovejoy..


Can anyone remember who he was suppose to fight? This has to be a substitution.

Benny The Kid wrote: ↑01 Apr 2025, 17:39 What's the deal here? Hunter was going to fight someone real I seen it...

Now its this Lovejoy..


Can anyone remember who he was suppose to fight? This has to be a substitution.

hunters been ordered a shot at the wba regular title kubrat pulev has, not seen who he was actually scheduled to fight instead of lovejoy though

Hunter needed to take meaningful fights back when there was an outlet for boxing other than DAZN in the US. Now it's too late.

I wonder what would have happened if hunter was given the win vs povetkin.

Bakole and kuzman were decent wins, then he drew with povetkin on one of the first ever big Saudi cards… a win there he probably would of been very near a title fight…

Still hard to believe his only loss is usyk at cruiserweight…. How can you have a name, be an American heavyweight, only loss is Usyk 8 years ago (when hunter was 28), and seemingly become a guy who fights lovejoy…

Fight Week!!

I’m not convinced Lovejoy realises the fight is happening, his Instagram is full of him smoking cigars and eating steaks in California. Not much evidence of actual training

chinarich wrote: ↑14 Apr 2025, 12:56 I’m not convinced Lovejoy realises the fight is happening, his Instagram is full of him smoking cigars and eating steaks in California. Not much evidence of actual training

That is his training.

The fight is off.
https://www.fightweek.com/2025/03/25/sh ... ain-event/