By John DiSanto at ringside
Photos: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

By Fightnews.com

In the opening bout of the live HBO broadcast, WBO cruiserweight champion, Aleksandr Usyk, 12-0, 10 KOs, retained his belt with an exciting 12-round unanimous points win over Mike Hunter of Las Vegas, 12-1, 8 KOs. The fight was fairly tight over the first six rounds, before the Ukrainian champ began to bank round after round in the second half. Hunter boxed well, but Usyk landed the harder shots and became more aggressive as the bout unfolded. In the final round, Usyk dished out a great deal of punishment, and Hunter was hurt for much of the round. One volley of punches sent Hunter into the ropes. So referee Bill Clancy correctly called it a knockdown. The fight could have been stopped anytime after the knockdown, but Hunter hung tough and Clancy let it go until the final bell. All three scores were the same, 117-110, in favor of the champion.