by Trish Kilcullen & Peter Heintzelman – Those fighting words of disrespect aimed at his foe, came back to haunt the previously undefeated “Hammerin” Hank Lundy, as the Gods of Boxing blessed lightweight, John Molina, Jr with a much-deserved TKO win.
On a boxing card sponsored by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sport, in association with Goosen-Tutor Promotions, and hosted by the Twin River Event Center in Lincoln, Rhode Island, this past Saturday night’s boxing fandom was treated to a great night of fights, including a scheduled twelve round main event between Molina and Lundy, for the NABO Lightweight Championship.
Lundy took the offensive in round one, jabbing and scoring effectively, as Molina seemed stifled, and in neutral. Clearly the first round went to Lundy, the faster and quicker puncher..
In the second stanza, Molina stepped up his offense, as he looked, and found room to counter jab Lundy. The pugilists stayed at jabbing distance, and both guys appeared relaxed, and analyzed each other’s tactics.
In round three, the taller Molina, let the southpaw be the aggressor. They circled the center of the ring. Lundy jabbed at will, and racked up the score. Hank tattooed Molina with jabs that frustrated the Californian. The round was an easy win for the “hometown” man.
In round four, Lundy opened school, with a lesson in jabbing from the outside. Molina was frustrated in his attempts to get inside, but eventually found a way to get inside to score with jabs and hooks to head and rib. Yet Lundy continued to pick his opponent apart with outside jabbing skills. Hank looks good, and absorbed jabs and body punches, and then jabbed his way out and circled.
In the fifth stanza, the jab-n-circle continued, yet Molina shifted gears and counter punched, but Lundy continued to show speed and good defense. Molina forced Lundy against the ropes and clocked him with a right- handed hook to the head, that shifted Lundy into neutral. Lundy seemed content to lean against the ropes and take the abuse. Molina had taken control of the round, by pushing Hank against the ropes, and scoring points. Round to Molina.
The sixth stanza saw Lundy shifting back in to gear, and they rounded the ring jabbing, and fighting from the outside, with Lundy backed on the ropes and Molina in his face; a fairly even round.
In the seventh stanza the fighters circled the ring, with Molina the offensive jabber, and Lundy counter punching and circling away. Molina seemed to get closer to Lundy, as they traded punched and suffers the jabs from Lundy. Lundy stepped back, and Molina follows him, throwing haymaker hook shots. Molina connected a jab to Lundy’s chin; a fairly even round.
The eighth round found Lundy attacking with a flurry of jabs, and with his back to the ring, Molina tried to track his foe down for the score. Lundy was slippery and feigned to get out of the way, and jabbed Molina, racking up the judge’s score. As they traded jabs, Molina threw a right haymaker that landed on Lundy’s jaw, which floored Lundy onto the canvas. Lundy rose, shook off the cobwebs, and continued to fight. Molina seemed empowered and hunted Lundy down to jab. Lundy seems alert and more embarrassed than hurt.
In the ninth stanza, Molina, with his back to the ring and Lundy, with his back to the ropes, both started jabbing each other. Lundy seems more tentativeand Molina more determined. Lundy counter punched, and hits to the body Lundy jogged around the ring, as if to run the time down, and hoped for the decision to be determined by the cards at the end of the fight.
In the tenth round, Molina seemed determined to chase Lundy down. He leveraged Lundy against the ropes, and landed some good jabs and hooks. Molina landed a good left hook that shook Lundy. Lundy got his back to the ring, and at end of round, Lundy gave some bad mouth to Molina, who responded in kind.
In the eleventh stanza, the fighters started in the ring by trading jabs. Lundy tried to set the pace. Molina tracked him down to the ropes and missed with a left haymaker. Molina forced Lundy against the ropes, and attacked his head. The referee called the fight off, as Lundy threw a “back-hand” punch, and then grabbed the ropes, and appeared dazed and defenseless.
And the torch was passed, at 2 minutes 17 seconds of the 11th round, when, as God-like-fate would have it, a patient gentleman from Covina, California, under the guidance of famed trainer, Joe Goossen, clocked the Philadelphian, Lundy, with a right hook heard round the lightweight boxing world!
ESPN announcer, Teddy Atlas, had a glimmer in his eye, during the post-fight interview with Molina, “and you knocked him down, and thank you for that,” said the Doctor known to have a yen for proper civility in an otherwise brutal sport.
With the win, John Molina’s record is now 21-1, 17 KO’s, and he goes home with a new shiny belt from the NABO, not to mention a whole new group of New England fans, including a majority of the press crew covering the fight night.
“Hammerin” Hank Lundy suffered his first loss, which left his record now at: 18-1-1 10, while John Molina Jr. improved his record to 21-1, and 17 KO’s.