Michael Hunter is ready to revive his career and the comeback campaign begins April 19 when the heavyweight contender headlines a Showtime Boxing Promotions card at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California against an opponent still to be determined.

"The Bounty" Hunter seeks a reward by being integrated into the mix of Riyadh Season shows featuring the world’s best heavyweights.

Hunter (24-1-2, 17 KOs) has the experience. His career has featured a unanimous decision loss against Oleksandr Usyk at cruiserweight in 2017, a stoppage win against Martin Bakole in 2018, and a split draw against Alexander Povetkin in 2019.

But ever since the Povetkin fight – which took place in Saudi Arabia on the undercard of the Anthony Joshua-Andy Ruiz Jr. rematch – Hunter has been relegated to third-rate opposition.

He’s now looking for a statement performance next month in order to crash the Riyadh Season party.

“I’m one of the best out there but I have not been getting the opportunities,” Hunter told The Ring in an interview. “My track record and pedigree speaks for itself. We all know that I should be having these kinds of shots. I can compete against anyone and whip them – and they know it. We just need to have these guys manning up to fight me. I can make a lot of noise with my performances and secure my legacy. I deserve to be right where everyone else is. The same guys are being recycled so far. I've never gotten the promotional support from the big companies. I am pushing for my opportunity to jump into the Riyadh Season mix and any other big fights that can be presented to me. I always rise to the occasion every time. I've beaten all odds and will continue to do so.”

Hunter is one of the handful of contenders from the United States who can still make some serious noise internationally. The 36-year-old from Las Vegas, a 2012 Olympian, is willing to clash it out with stateside contemporaries like Deontay Wilder, Andy Ruiz Jr., Jarrell Miller, Jared Anderson, and undefeated upstart Richard Torrez Jr. in order to separate himself from the pack.

“There aren't too many great American heavyweights, but there is a great American heavyweight on its way in Michael Hunter,” he said. “They all need a dance partner.”

Hunter also said he has no issues serving as the “B-side” against fighters looking to get off the schneid, like Joshua, Bakole, Zhilei Zhang, Joe Joyce, and Filip Hrgovic, among others.

In 2021, Hunter had a chance to face Hrgovic but turned down the IBF eliminator. At the time, Matchroom Boxing won a purse bid at $606,666. Sixty percent of that figure was supposed to go to Hunter as the higher-rated contender.

“It’s absolutely bizarre. I send the contracts, and then they just write, ‘We’re not taking the fight,'" Eddie Hearn said at the time.

After toiling with the likes of Triller and Don King in recent years, the promotional free agent Hunter, ranked No. 2 by the WBA, promises to seize the next meaningful matchup that comes his way.

“It's time for the Michael Hunter breakout party,” he said. “There are a lot of great fights for me. I'm a small heavyweight and a little guy battling giants. It's exciting David slay Goliath and I need somebody to help put that energy behind me. We'll get there eventually. All I need is an opportunity to shine, and everything else will fall into place.”