Michael Hunter and Alexander Povetkin fought out a draw in their WBA heavyweight title eliminator on the Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr undercard in Saudi Arabia.
Povetkin was forced to survive a blistering early onslaught from the American who took control again late on in the contest - seemingly doing enough to get the win.
But with the fight going to the cards, a draw was decided by ringside judges who scored the fight 115-113, 115-113, 114-114.
Hunter exploded into action with a start to the fight that stunned Povetkin – along with most in attendance in Diriyah.
The former cruiserweight rocked his opponent inside 30 seconds with a furious flurry before tossing him to the mat. A stunning right then rocked the Russian to his boots with Povetkin wobbling before regaining his composure to hang on in the opening round.
An experienced and savvy operator, Povetkin rode out the storm and while he continued to struggle with Hunter’s speed in the second and third round, he slowed his opponent down before rocking him with a splendid left in the fifth.
Only the ropes prevented the knockdown on that occasion but as the fight progressed, the Russian’s energy levels faded again, seemingly allowing Hunter to regain control.
A stiff body shot followed by a right upstairs made Povetkin wince again in the seventh – with the 40-year-old absorbing blow after blow as Hunter dominated the closing rounds.
The older fighter stayed on his feet after another vicious flurry from Hunter in the 11th - doing enough to convince the judges to call the fight even.
