EIGHTEEN months after announcing his retirement from championship boxing, Michael Hunter returns to the ring tonight chasing a British title, something he relinquished almost four years ago.

After beginning his comeback with a comfortable points victory over European featherweight champion Osman Aktas last December, Hunter has been waiting for an opportunity that whetted his appetite again.

Tonight’s battle for the Lonsdale Belt, at super-bantamweight level, with reigning champion Jason Booth represents that opportunity – and Hartlepool’s boxing sensation is ready to make the most of his big chance to shine again in front of the Sky Sports cameras.

More than 200 of Hunter’s supporters will be inside the Seaburn Centre tonight, where there is expected to be a crowd in excess of 1,200 to witness Sunderland’s Tony Jeffries take his next step towards his own title fight.

But, for once, Jeffries takes a back seat on his home turf, with Hunter intent on becoming the British champion for the first time since he memorably defeated Esham Pickering in a 12-round thriller back in October 2005.

Many never thought that the 31-year-old would return to such a platform.

Now, though, coach Neil Fannan believes the all-action southpaw can reclaim his place among this country’s boxing elite.

“He has even surprised me and he has turned the clock back,” said Fannan. “I tested him out to see if he was up for the job and after a couple of rocky moments, a couple of arguments, he has got stronger and stronger. He finished with 106 rounds of sparring.

He is in the shape of his life.

“He has come back fresh.

One thing I know about him is that there will be no surrender, no disheartening.

“Michael has fought a better calibre of fighter than Jason Booth. Booth has never fought a Michael Hunter: a big powerful super-bantamweight.”

A comprehensive world title defeat to Steve Molitor in November 2006 left Hunter questioning his place in the sport. It was Hunter’s first and only defeat of a 31-contest career, but it was hard to take – mainly because his shot at holding an IBF belt had gone.

“Physically he has not had a hard career. Mentally I thought he was finished. He kept asking me ‘do you think I’m finished?’ When you ask such a question that means you know an answer,” said Fannan.

But after being made the mandatory challenger to Booth’s crown a few months ago, suddenly the hunger, the desire that was lacking, was back.

“I have not had a day off for two months,” said Hunter, who has been on a stringent programme from his new fitness coach Ian Glass.

“I needed this. It’s something to look forward to. I have been a champion throughout my career. It can be lonely believe it or not, and you think it’s not worth doing it. But a title fight means the hurrah is back.

“After the Molitor fight I didn’t want to look at myself on the telly or in the papers, I thought I had had it. I have been a boxer 20 years and I just thought ‘I’m bored of it’.

“It was one of those things but it happened for a reason. I have been beaten once and now I’m raring to go. Whatever I want to do I can do it.”

At the weigh in, Hunter was 8st 9.8lb, Booth 8st 9lb.

Jeffries will follow Hunter into the ring tonight against Belarusian Artem Solomko.

There are also numerous other North-East fighters on the 13-fight card, as well as Jeffries’ fellow Olympian David Price, who fights Germany’s Liridon Memeshi in a heavyweight contest.

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