By Jake Donovan

The only thing by which Keith Hunter was surprised in his recent win over Sanjarbek Rakhmanov was the notion that he had pulled off an upset.

Still, he kept his mouth shut heading into that April bout at Sam’s Town Casino in Las Vegas, where both boxers are based. Instead, he used it as an opportunity to show he is as talented as his record suggests, as his résumé didn’t quite tell the same story.

“I knew a lot about (Rakhmanov) going in and was glad when we got the call for that fight,” Hunter (10-0, 7KOs) told BoxingScene.com of that bout while preparing for his welterweight clash with Cameron Krael this Friday, also at Sam’s Town and streaming live on Mayweather Promotions' social media platforms. “I knew what I can do, but people looked at my record and saw that I fought a lot of lesser opposition.

“We always wanted real fights, but just couldn’t get the right opponents. After getting that fight and winning, Mayweather Promotions worked with my team (promoter Greg Cohen and Greg Hannely’s Prince Ranch Management) to get me on this show against another opponent who should test me.”

It also means a second straight hometown appearance, this time as the evening’s chief support to undefeated locally based super bantamweight prospect Angelo Leo, who faces Mark John Yap. The night will also mark his first scheduled 10-rounder, coming against a noted spoiler in Krael (16-13-3, 4KOs) who is 8-1-1 over hls last ten starts.

Krael’s lone loss over that stretch came in a disputed decision versus Erick Bone last May. He immediately followed up with an upset win over highly touted Jose Miguel Borrego last September, and has also stood tall with several unbeaten prospects along the way.

Hunter knows this all too well, having split two fights with Krael in the amateurs.

“I’m very familiar with Cameron Krael,” notes Hunter, whose older brother Michael Hunter II is a current heavyweight contender and whose late father Michael Hunter Sr. was a heavyweight gatekeeper in the 1990s. “I beat him the first time and honestly beat myself the second time around. I’ve learned a lot about myself since then.”

The industry continues to learn what Hunter already knows about himself, something that his earlier fights didn’t quite indicate.

“Not being able to get the opponents we wanted, we had to take a lot of fights in Mexico just to stay active and develop,” admits Hunter, who currently bounces between super lightweight and welterweight, depending on the fight. “So getting the call to face guys like Rakhmanov, like Krael—tough fighters on their own promoter’s show (both fight under the Mayweather Promotions banner)—it really works wonders for me.”

As he continues to seek out the best competition, living and training in Las Vegas at least affords him top shelf sparring. His list of notable gym opposition ranges from current 130-pound titlist Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis to former 154-pound champ Austin Trout.

“In my mind, I’m ready if you tell me I’m fighting a world champion in my next fight,” Hunter insists. “I don’t train for my opponent, I train for the best guys in my division. My last win gave me a real boost—I was the B-side going against the house fighter. So I’m going to carry that same frame of mind into this fight.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox