By John G. Thompson: Hammerin’ Hank Lundy 19-1 (10 KO’s) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania put on a clinic of skill and speed in an attempt to regain credibility following his sole defeat less than two months ago. Omri Lowther 14-2 (10 KO’s) of Toronto proved no real test at the Metropolis in Montreal, Canada. Lundy shut out Lowther on two of the three judges’ score cards earning a ten round unanimous decision. However, Lundy failed to make weight, coming in one pound overweight (at 140 lbs), forfeiting twenty percent of his purse, even though he took the fight only about four days’ notice.
Lundy’s loss came in his last appearance on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights back in July to John Molina 27-1 (17 KO’s) of Covina, California in the first defense of Lundy’s NABO Lightweight Title. The Philly fighter dominated Molina with technique and movement over the course of seven rounds, making Molina look amateurish at times. By the eighth, Lundy got cocky and ignored defense, leaving his hands below his waist, picking off Molina at will. Overconfidence got him caught with a solid shot from Molina one minute into the round and Lundy went down hard. Lundy finished the round dancing so fast Molina could not catch him.
Lundy shook off the cobwebs by the tenth and both men exchanged at the bell, the referee needing to separate them, and Lundy mouthed off at his opponent after the bell. In the eleventh, Lundy looked like he was back to form, peppering Molina with the jab on his way to a points victory. Molina continued to back Lundy up, however, and caught him hard against the ropes. In an odd scene, Lundy held onto the top rope with his left arm and attempted to duck and weave, using the ropes for balance, and even fired back with the right. This approach proved unwise, and Molina hammered away with hard left hooks to Lundy’s chin. Lundy moved off the ropes but Molina went on the attack. When the referee eventually stepped in, Lundy was still on his feet and talking to his opponent, though taking punishment. Lundy commented on the stoppage in an interview before the fight this evening, “The referee shouldn’t of stopped the fight – in the championship fight – like that.”
Omri Lowther took this fight on one weeks’ notice, and even though Lundy had less notice, Lundy had been preparing for a fight on this date as far back as the Molina fight. Regardless, Lundy looked tentative for most of the match, obviously due to his coming off a knockout loss. The most exciting moments of the bout did not occur until the eighth round when Hammerin’ Hank attempted to earn his moniker with a series of accurate left hooks to Lowther’s chin. Lundy hammered away again in the ninth and tenth to earn a clear cut victory.
The future looks uncertain for Hank Lundy, as he possesses elite level technical prowess but lacks elite level power. He somehow needs to keep his confidence up but avoid overconfidence. This fight might help him get him back on track, but he’ll need a more competitive bout before the fans regain their confidence in him.
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