Lundy ready to take down Beltran; sets sights on Broner and others in weight class
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (July 26, 2012) – With his thinly-veiled threat to Adrien Broner having gone viral in less than 24 hours, No. 1-ranked lightweight “Hammerin’” Hank Lundy of Philadelphia is making sure he doesn’t lose sight of the task at hand.
“‘Hammerin’’ Hank will
go out there being ‘Hammerin’’ Hank – no pressure,” Lundy said Thursday
at the pre-fight weigh-in for his upcoming showdown against Mexican
challenger Raymundo Beltran, scheduled for Friday, July 27th, 2012 on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights from Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City.
Friday’s show, promoted
by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports, will air live
beginning at 10 p.m. (EST) and also feature a 10-round super
middleweight co-feature between Philadelphia’s Farah Ennis (19-1, 12 KOs) and Richard Pierson (11-2, 8 KOs) of Paterson, N.J. Tickets are still available at $40, $65, $75 and $125 and can be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com, or at the Resorts Casino Hotel Box Office.
“I’m just going to go
out there and perform and use my God-given talent. I’m in [Atlantic
City] – I’m not in Philly, but I’m still on the road. I’m a road
warrior. I like to take that name from Glen Johnson – much
respect to you, Glen Johnson – but I’m going there to do what I’ve got
to do. Like I always end it, ‘‘Hammerin’’ Hank, coming to a city and
town near you. It’s Hammer Time!’”
Even with a formidable
challenge from the hard-hitting Beltran (25-6, 17 KOs) looming on the
horizon – Lundy’s North American Boxing Federation (NABF) title will be
up for grabs in the 10-round main event – most of the focus is on
Broner’s jump to the 135-pound division, followed immediately by Lundy’s
warning that all challengers in his weight class must go through him
first.
Broner, the former
World Boxing Organization (WBO) 130-pound champion, was stripped of his
title last weekend for weighing in at more than three pounds over the
limit. Lundy (21-1-1, 11 KOs), who was forced to sweat off an additional
pound himself Thursday – “I’m a professional,” he said. “I worked to
lose the weight” – called Broner “unprofessional” and questioned the
legitimacy of his 24-0 record.
“I trained hard and
left Philadelphia weighing 134 pounds; it happens,” Lundy said, “but you
have to be a professional and lose the weight. All I can say is, ‘Hey, I
had to do it.’ All it did was kill my morning run because I usually go
for a run the morning of, but I can chill now because I already did it.
“I’m in great shape,”
he continued. “I’m a throwback fighter. I’m doing 16, 17 rounds a day in
the gym. A little run won’t affect anything. I’m ready to go.”
As
for Broner, Lundy said, “I kind of like him, but the opposition that
he’s fought? Nowhere near my level. [The] 135-pound division is a weight
class where if you hit someone they’re going to hit you back. I’m more
than welcome to having Adrien Broner move up, but there’s one thing
about that – you’ve got to run through ‘‘Hammerin’’ Hank and it won’t be
easy. I’m a warrior. When we meet in the ring, you’re going to walk
through hell, just like I told Dannie Williams.
“It’s not a game with me.”
Broner
is scheduled to fight again Oct. 6 in Atlantic City, according to his
promoter, Golden Boy Promotions. In another fight of interest to Lundy’s
camp, current WBC lightweight champion Antonio DeMarco will defend his title against John Molina in September.
“If they call me [in
October, I’m ready to fight, but at the end of the day I’ve already run
through everyone in this division they’ve put in front of me,” Lundy
said. ‘I would like to avenge one loss [to Molina]. If this guy [beats
DeMarco], let’s get it, but it’s like this – [Broner] is trying to take a
shortcut and go straight to the top. You have to work your way up like
the old-timers did. When you fight the best, then you can be considered
the best. I’ve fought better competition than Broner.
“I’m at the top right
now,” he continued. “I’m No. 1 in the [World Boxing Council] and I’ve
got Beltran on Friday night. First, I’m going to take care of business
and do what I’ve got to do, but let this be a lesson to you, Broner.
Sometimes you come in overweight, but you’ve got to bite down and make
that weight.”
Friday’s undercard also features a four-round welterweight bout between Anthony Young (4-0, 2 KOs) of Atlantic City and Richie Andrews (3-1-3, 1 KO) of Stuarts Draft, Va., while Josh Mercado (5-1, 2 KOs) of Cape May, N.J., will battle Korey Sloane (2-4-1) of Philadelphia in a four-round bout.
Also, Kenneth Moody (2-3-2, 1 KO) of Virginia Beach, Va., will face Ismael Garcia (3-0) of Millville, N.J., in a four-round middleweight bout and super middleweight Isaiah Seldon of Somers Point, N.J., will face Steven Tyner (3-5-2, 2 KOs) of Akron in a four-round bout. All fights and fighters subject to change. Bantamweight Miguel Cartagena (5-0, 3 KOs) of Philadelphia will put his unbeaten record on the line against Jose Rivera in a six-round bout.
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