Mark Hunt is set to return to boxing on December 16 in Australia against Paul Gallen.
Hunt is currently 0-1-1 as a pro boxer as he lost to Josh Wyborn in 1999. He then had his second fight in 2000 and fought Joe Askew to a draw. Following that, he then turned his attention to MMA.
The 46-year-old Kiwi was an 18-fight UFC veteran and also fought in PRIDE and Dream. However, he ended his career on a three-fight losing skid and after completing his contract, didn’t want to fight in the UFC anymore.
Now, ahead of his return to boxing, Mark Hunt got fired up and got into a fight with his opponent at weigh-ins.
Yo they’re just about to punch on at the weigh ins pic.twitter.com/j4taZmFxGH
— Brendan Bradford (@1bbradfo) December 15, 2020
Mark Hunt has just thrown a punch at Paul Gallen at the weigh-in. Hunt very annoyed by Gallen’s talk pic.twitter.com/EpHbYh6dXz
— Jamie Pandaram (@JamiePandaram) December 15, 2020
According to Mark Hunt, he says this was just a good offer to box. He is also looking to have six more fights before he retires.
“I’m a fighter at heart,” Mark Hunt said of this contest to Submission Radio. “I wanted to finish my career happy instead of being so bitter at fighting and fighting in general. Especially how they run things. I mean, yeah it was a good offer [to fight Paul Gallen]. Things have worked out well, we made a good deal. And it will be one of the biggest events in fighting on this card here in my home town, which I think is awesome. So, what better way than to finish it off with a couple of boxing fights and then move on, I think. I want to have six more fights, to be honest, and finish my career happy.”
Hunt has not competed in combat sports since December of 2018 when he suffered a decision loss to Justin Willis. In his UFC tenure, the fan-favorite had wins over the likes of Derrick Lewis, Frank Mir, Mirko Cro Cop, Ben Rothwell, and Cheick Kongo among others.
What do you make of Mark Hunt getting into a fight with his opponent at weigh-ins?