From shopping for rings to stepping inside of one, 2015 figures to be a prominent chapter in the story of Philadelphia’s “Hammerin’” Hank Lundy.
Six days after he walks down the aisle to tie the knot with his longtime fiancée, Valerie, Lundy will step back into the ring to face super lightweight contender Mauricio Herrera in the 10-round main event of Golden Boy Promotions’ July 11th show in Los Angeles live on HBO Latino.
As his life outside of the ring changes, Lundy (25-4-1, 12 KOs) hopes his current career path can take a similar turn for the better. Eight years into a career that has featured its share of ups and down, the 31-year-old Lundy is at crossroads coming off a narrow loss to Thomas Dulorme in his HBO debut in December.
Still ranked No. 9 in the World Boxing Council (WBC) among 140-pounders, Lundy knows a big win on national television puts him right back in the championship mix, a prime spot for a fighter who’s no stranger to the big stage.
“I’m eager to show the world they haven’t seen the best of me yet,” Lundy said.
On the surface, Lundy is the same brash, outspoken, take-on-all-comers boxer cut from the same cloth as almost every other fighter out of Philadelphia, but he’s matured in recent years. Before he and his fiancée decided to get married, they bought their first home together. Lundy admits he’s now a “homebody” who doesn’t get out much, instead focusing on family and fighting.
In addition to the not-so-subtle domestic changes, he’s gone back to his roots, reuniting with longtime trainer Charles Ramey, who guided Lundy through his amateur career and his first 16 fights as a professional before the two parted ways.
“I had to dig down deep and go back to where it all started,” Lundy said. “Most fighters, they like to go around and work with different trainers. When I had Charles, he brought out the best in me.
“He was hard on me, but he knows what I’m capable of and that’s what I like. He’s one hell of a boxing coach. I’m just ready to get in the ring and show the world the real ‘Hammerin’’ Hank.”
Asked why he and Ramey split up in the first place, Lundy admits success got to his head – the knockout wins, the accolades, the numerous appearances on ESPN.
“When you’re coming up in the boxing game and you get a little fame, everyone, in is in your ear,” he said. “You get a little arrogant. I got big-headed. I’m not going to lie, Charles and I are both stubborn. Neither one of us wanted to come to the table and talk, so I put my little bundle on the stick and left.
“But I’ll say it like this: At the end of the day, the person who started you off knows what makes you tick. They know how hard to drive you, what buttons to push. Sometimes another coach might change thing s, and you think it’s for the better, but they never learn you.”
With Ramey back in his corner, familiarity – or lack thereof – won’t be an issue when Lundy squares off with Herrera (21-5, 7 KOs), a tough, battle-tested veteran and former world champion in the lightweight division with wins over Ruslan Provodnikov and Johan Perez in addition to a 12-round battle with current WBC and World Boxing Association (WBA) super lightweight champ Danny Garcia on his resume. He’s also ranked No. 7 among 140-pounders in the WBA.
But don’t mistake Lundy’s mature, family-man exterior as a subsequent lack of hunger, or taming of the beast, so to speak.
“I’m still ‘Mr. Excitement, ” he says matter-of-factly. “I’m ‘Mr. ESPN.’ Every time ‘Hammerin’’ Hank is in the ring you know he’s going to put on a show, so there’s no pressure.
“Before you had Adrien Broner, it was ‘Hammerin’’ Hank,” he continued. “It was me first before you saw those guys. Ricky Hatton. It was me doing all of that.
“Mauricio Herrera, I like him because he reminds me of me, ‘Hammerin’’ Hank, but on fight night it’s search and destroy. I’m going to have to show him once again y’all messed up fighting ‘Hammerin’’ Hank! I know he gave Danny Garcia problems, but y’all forgot ‘Hammerin’’ Hank can box his ass off. And not only that, I can punch.
“You’re going to see some great boxing skills. He’s going to see what it’s like when you have a guy in front of you that can do the same thing and do it even better.”
Lundy promises “fireworks” in July with Ramey back in his camp, and he typically delivers when the pressure’s on. The fight against Dulorme was all action from the opening bell, with Lundy picking himself up off the canvas following a first-round knockdown and eventually hurting Dulorme in the later rounds before losing a split decision. More importantly, it was a learning experience he hopes will serve as a reference point when he steps back into the HBO spotlight in July.
“In that fight, I felt I got away from my game plan,” Lundy said. “I wanted to show the world the real ‘Hammerin’’ Hank, but everybody knows I’m a boxer and a puncher. I won a lot of fans, but that wasn’t the real me. I’m back to the old ‘Hammerin’’ Hank.”
