Don King Wins $1.1M Bid to Promote Pulev-Hunter WBA Heavyweight Fight

Don King, the legendary 93-year-old boxing promoter, has won the $1.1 million purse bid to promote the WBA 'regular' heavyweight title fight between Kubrat Pulev and Michael Hunter, scheduled for August 23 in the United States. Pulev, the WBA secondary champion since December 2024, will defend his title against Hunter, who has been seeking greater recognition in the heavyweight division after moving up from cruiserweight in 2018. Possible locations for the bout include Florida, Las Vegas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, with the event coinciding with King's 94th birthday. The WBA has ordered a four-man heavyweight eliminator tournament, with the winners of Pulev-Hunter and Fabio Wardley-Justis Huni scheduled to face each other by the end of the year to unify the secondary titles. This secondary WBA title remains controversial due to the existence of the WBA 'super' champion Oleksandr Usyk, who holds multiple heavyweight belts and will defend his undisputed crown against Daniel Dubois in July. The winner of the Pulev-Hunter fight is expected to move closer to a shot at the undisputed heavyweight championship.