Heavyweight contender Michael Hunter got a scare in his Trillerverz 4 main event at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on Thursday, having to settle for a 10-round draw in his rematch with Jerry Forrest.

Scores were 96-94 Hunter, 96-94 Forrest, 95-95. Hunter decisioned Forrest in June 2014.

The big men were busy in the opening frame, Forrest (26-4-2, 20 KOs) getting right in his opponent’s face while Hunter (20-1-2, 14 KOs) opted to play matador to his foe’s bull, clearly landing the wider variety of flush blows. Forrest got closer with his own shots in the second and third, and Hunter was getting hit more than he expected and the swelling on his face showed it. Forrest was still there and refusing to go away in the fourth, and the resulting exchanges got a rise out of the crowd.

In the final minute of the fifth, Forrest teed off on the heavily favored Hunter, putting him on the defensive for the rest of the stanza. After appearing to throw up in the corner between rounds, Hunter’s body language wasn’t great in the sixth and though he landed some of his best shots, his technique was sloppy and Forrest was undeterred in his forward march.

The fight was getting interesting, though, and Hunter began getting back into it in the seventh, but by the end of the round, it was Forrest again landing the harder shots, and he kept controlling the action in rounds eight and nine, raising welts under both of Hunter’s eyes.

With both corners telling their fighters that they needed the final round, Forrest and Hunter went for it, and while Hunter had his moments, it was Forrest who finished stronger, leaving it to the judges to make the final call on a grueling heavyweight clash.