Molitor makes good on his promise – Hunter knocked down and out in five by Paul Concannon Nov 11th 2006

Despite hometown advantage and the anticipated partisan support of his passionate Hartlepool faithful, Michael Hunter failed in his bid to secure the vacant IBF super-bantamweight title when classy, undefeated ‘Canadian Kid' Steve Molitor put him down and out in five rounds at the Hartlepool Borough Hall last night. Up until late in the penultimate round, there had been little hint of what was to come. Until that point, Hunter had boxed a smart, tactical fight, abandoning his noted high volume attack to engage in a chessmatch with the talented visitor over the first three rounds; a sharp left had decked Hunter in the previous round, but he appeared to recover well, and was making a little headway in the fifth. Molitor, though, was in no mood to be denied, and unleashed a combination near a neutral corner, before landing with another sharp left cross, flooring the local hero for a second time. Hunter appeared fully aware of his senses, and what looked like another mandatory eight count became a count-out, as he shook his head at Neil Fannan in his corner in a, ‘That's it' gesture. After a deafening welcome to the ring Hunter, who weighed 8 stone 9 and three-quarter lbs, had made a good start. There had been little clean scoring in an uneventful first round, with each looking to box off the back-foot. Hunter concentrated on defence, displaying patience as the two men did little more than size one another up. A reasonable left jab from the local had pierced the southpaw visitor's defences late in the round; perhaps earning him the session, on top of that there had been little to separate them in a cagey opener. Round two was similar, with Molitor landing the odd light 1-2 and chanced the occasional flurry, while Hunter probed with the jab, looking to land his right, before neatly skipping away from the counters. The round ended with a good left from Molitor, and a good right from Hunter – again it was almost impossible to separate them – nonetheless, the fighters provided a nice display of defensive smarts, glaring at one another after the bell, before being quickly ushered back to their corners by referee Phil Edwards. The third round started off like a blueprint of the previous two, both picking their spots and each having the odd success. Overall, Molitor did the cleaner work this round, but did absorb a left hook, right hand, left hook combination late on in another close session. The fourth began with a little more devil from Hunter, as he started off behind some light jabs before absorbing a few little flurries from the quick-fisted number one contender. Hunter landed his best left hook of the fight before suddenly, shockingly, finding himself on the floor from a pair of Molitor left-hands. Up quickly, he motioned to his cheering sections on the balconies that he was okay, before bravely hitting back to restore North East hopes, if only briefly. Hunter came out for the fifth looking purposeful, landing with three quick punches as he drove forward before moments later walking into a quick combination, followed by the overhand left that ended the fight. In truth, the final punch had a sharp rather than devastating look about it, but however it appeared, had the desired effect for Molitor, who had weighed in at 8 stone 9 and a half lbs. After the ten count, he and his cornerman, Chris Johnson, shouted in delight, with Johnson throwing the contents of a waterbottle across the ring in enthusiastic celebration. Despite obvious disappointment, the hometown crowd took the defeat of the much-loved local hero with great sportsmanship. Molitor had arrived in the UK promising a KO, and proved a man of his word in winning his first world championship, "Michael is a great competitor and has great heart. I'm positive he'll be back in no time,” the classy Canadian told the SKY cameras afterwards. As for Hunter, he had fought well until the sudden ending, and after a period of rest to lick his wounds, it's likely we will be seeing plenty more from the exciting Hartlepool tearaway in 2007. Hunter said afterwards, "I thought I was doing well then he caught me with a punch high on my head and that was it. "He's World class, he's been World class for four years, while I've just got into the World rankings in the last year. I will come back from this." Molitor added "I have wanted this since I started boxing seventeen years ago. I was surprised that Hunter came out boxing I was expecting him to rush out at me." Pick of the undercard was a slam-bang six round draw between Scottish super-middleweight prospect Steven McGuire, 12 stones 1 and a half lbs, and Blackpool's heavy-handed Richard Turba, 12 stone 4lbs 2oz. After an aggressive start by Turba, McGuire quickly settled into a nice rhythm, belabouring the hard-headed powerhouse with accurate, hurtful-looking flurries, reminiscent of an orthodox Joe Calzaghe. The Scottish prospect looked the part, slamming away with perfectly delivered body punches and quick salvoes to the head. A good exchange towards the round's end perhaps evened the session for Turba. McGuire continued his sharp-hitting assault through the next two rounds, winning them both on my card. Ominously, he had something of a tired look towards the end of the latter round, and ended the session with a cut over his right eye. After a promising start to fourth, the Glenrothes man found himself hurt, first by a left hook, then a right which had him unsteady and facing out over the top rope, before hitting back bravely in an exciting round. Turba pressed home his advantage early in the fifth, scoring a knockdown with three clubbing rights. McGuire was on his feet at about seven, sparking savage trench warfare for the rest of the session, each giving and taking stiff punches until the bell. McGuire turned in a near flawless final round, whipping clean punches up and down at the tiring Blackpool man, for me sealing the session and the fight. Referee Mark Curry thought otherwise, awarding a well-received 57-57 draw; in truth it was difficult to begrudge Turba a share of the spoils, he had fought his heart out. British and Commonwealth Welterweight champion Kevin Anderson, 10 stone 9 & a half lbs was a very welcome addition to a strong undercard, turning in a workmanlike rather than spectacular performance against Anthony Guillet, a defensive southpaw from France. The visitor, who weighed 10 stone 10lbs, fought well, always looking to counter and poke in occasional right jabs as Anderson patiently stalked. The Scottish hero scored a knockdown from a cracking left hook in the fourth, before collecting a merited 79-73 decision from referee Andrew Wright. I got the impression Anderson was operating at probably 70% but still had the edge in every round; he also got an ideal workout ahead of a February title defence against Eamonn Magee, a southpaw with considerably more bite than the Frenchman. Other results from Hartlepool: Thomas Moran PTS 4 Lukasz Wawryczek A battle of unbeaten light-middles rightly goes the way of the Polish visitor who is the busier, more aggressive fighter throughout. Moran fights well enough, punching back through all four, but finds his opponent a little too strong & purposeful. Wawryczek collects a 40-37 decision. Michael Jones W TCO 1 Szabolcs Rimovszky Weighing just under the super-middleweight limit, the former British champion at light-middleweight twice drops Rimovszky with rights, the second time for the count. There were worrying moments as the visitor lay prone, apparently unconscious, before thankfully leaving the ring under his own steam; a devastating performance from Jones in just 58 seconds. Francis (Franny) Jones W RSF 2 Jamie Coyle A sharp-showing from Darlington-based stylist Jones, who clamps Coyle's left eye shut with big right hands almost instantly. Jones boxes well, while Coyle bravely struggles with one eye, until a perfectly-timed injury stoppage at 1.52 of the second. Coyle simply could not see through the left eye, and Jones can be well pleased with a good, if brief night's work. Sean Hughes L PTS 6 Durgahed Riaz A tough night for Pontefract's Hughes, who is out-boxed, floored & outscored by tricky and capable Durgahed. A gutsy performance from Hughes who doggedly sticks to his task, having some good moments, especially if the fifth when he briefly steadies the Bristol man. Paul Truscott WPTS Rakhim Mingaleev A flawless shut-out for Middlesbrough featherweight hope against an ancient survivor having his 81st fight. Truscott shows off his moves, drilling Mingaleev with sharp punches to the body and head, while the old warhorse from the Ukraine hangs tough. Truscott, now 3-0, collects a 40-36 decision. He looks like one to watch. Photos by Paul Knox - www.om-shantiphotography.co.uk/

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