K-1: So, you and him kept punching each other?

Hunt: Yes. Neither Ray nor I were knocked down by the punching. So I wanted to show him that I was as tough as he was. I was covered in bruises after the match, and I also had a pain in my ribs [laughs]. However, as my dream was to go to the Tokyo Dome, I enjoyed it. I was lucky to enter the consolation match, and even luckier to enter the final. I will go all out in Tokyo.

K-1: Master Ishii praised you after the match. Even Antonio Inoki who fights against K-1 said that he waned you to be one of the Inoki family.

Hunt: I didn’t know what to say when I heard that, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not interested in Vale Tudo and non-K-1 rules. I’m happy to fight. Anyway, it depends on how much it pays [laughs].

K-1: Have you lived in Samoa?

Hunt: No I was born and brought up in New Zealand, and went to Samoa once when I was 4 years old. But, as I said, I am always conscious of my “Samoan blood.” Do you know that there are many rugby players with Samoan blood? There are many valiant warriors.

K-1: You must have been a tear away, weren’t you?

Hunt: Japanese interviewers always ask me that. Actually I wasn’t. I had fights like other people.

K-1: Like other people?

Hunt: Just like any ordinary kid. Everyone had some fights when they were young [laughs]. By the way, the scar on my forehead I got in a head butt with a friend in a bar. That wasn’t a fight.

K-1: What sport did you play before you started kickboxing?

Hunt: I played rugby as a wing. I once played for one of the under-19 teams. We were aiming for the national team, but the competition was too stiff. There are many rugby players in New Zealand. At that time, I was taken to a gym by a friend and enjoyed it. I felt like it suited me. I enjoyed going to the gym from the first day, and debuted 1 week later.

K-1: After only a week?

Hunt: I was a bit heavier then than I am now. I just kept swinging punches and won by knockout in 2 rounds.

K-1: This must have suited you more than rugby.

Hunt: Then, as I practiced kicking, I gained speed. At the moment, I think I can move pretty fast relative to my weight.

K-1: You said you were beaten once in the ring when you were an amateur fighter.

Hunt: That’s right. I often fall over and fall out of the window on the second floor in my private life, tough.

K-1: You fell from the second floor?

Hunt: I fell down trying to catch a bird resting beside the window [laugh]. Then I got another scar on my forehead.

K-1: You were lucky that you only had one scar. By the way, the tattoo on your left shoulder is very showy. Does it mean anything?

Hunt: To tell the truth, I once had my old girlfriends name tattooed and had this tattoo done over it to cover it [laughs]. That’s a picture Aries, which is my star sign.

K-1: You live in Australia don’t you?

Hunt: Yes. Since around 3 or 4 years ago. I moved there to lead a better life. I sometimes do security work, but know I am basically a fighter. However, as I wasn’t a regular K-1 fighter until recently, I couldn’t always practice fully. I think I need to train myself more to be a strong fighter.

K-1: That means that you have the potential to be stronger.

Hunt: Of course. Honestly, if I was asked if I had trained 100% for the Fukuoka competition, I would say no.

K-1: But you still won. You are aiming to be champion at the Tokyo Dome aren’t you?

Hunt: Of course.

K-1: You chose the match with Jerome Le Banner in the tournament draw. Did you intend to get your revenge because you were beaten at the Nagoya competition last year?

Hunt: If the slot next to Ernesto had not been occupied, I would have chose it I wanted to fight a strong fight, anyway. My second said, “you’ve gone crazy after taking so many punches,” though [laughs]. When I fought Jerome I had not practiced a lot. I think I can beat him if I practice a lot to make full use of my abilities.

K-1: You are awfully confident. It reminds me that you didn’t get floored until the end when he kept on throwing punches.

Hunt: I don’t fall down with punches.

K-1: Surely, you don’t intend to fight him with no guard in the final competition?

Hunt: I may not. Though I definitely dropped my arms when I fought Ray. That was to prove that I would not be easily beaten. If I keep on having clean punches, I don’t know how far I can endure it. I will focus on knocking out my opponents at the Tokyo Dome.