Top-ranked Lundy returns to ESPN‏

Hard work pays off

Top-ranked Lundy remains in hunt for title as he prepares for latest ESPN showcase

Though he’s closer to the top than he’s ever been in his professional career, “Hammerin’” Hank Lundy’s journey is far from over.

Ranked No. 1 in the World Boxing Council (WBC) among lightweights, the Philadelphia native is on the doorstep of fighting for a major world title in 2012, but Lundy (22-1-1, 11 KOs) must first take care of business in front of a national television audience – again – on Friday, July 27^th, 2012 at Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City.

The reigning North American Boxing Federation (NABF) lightweight champion will defend his title for the third time against Mexican veteran Raymundo Beltran (25-6, 17 KOs) of Phoenix, Ariz., in the main event of “Title Wave,” presented by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports live on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights, which will air live beginning at 10 p.m. (EST) on ESPN2, ESPN3 and ESPN Deportes.

“Even after I win a world title, my job still won’t be done,” Lundy said. “My work in the boxing game will never be done.”

The 10-round showdown between Lundy and Beltran will be one of two nationally-televised bouts; the other is a 10-round co-feature between hard-hitting super middleweights Richard Pierson (11-2, 8 KOs) of nearby Paterson, N.J., and rising star Farah Ennis (19-1, 12 KOs) of Philadelphia, who has scored knockouts in six of his last seven wins dating back to February of 2010.

Expect sparks to fly July 27^th as the four fighters featured in televised bouts enter the night with 48 combined knockouts, a belated Independence Day treat for ESPN2’s worldwide audience, which has watched Lundy grow from a budding prospect to a championship contender within the past two years.

“I’ve got a lot of love for ESPN,” said Lundy, who’s appeared on the network six times since 2010 and seven times overall in his professional career. “After this fight they should rename it the ‘Hammerin’’ Hank network!”

With a win over Beltran, Lundy could have every network executive knocking on his door. The NABF titlist is still eyeing a shot at WBC lightweight champion Antonio DeMarco, but since DeMarco is already scheduled to defend his belt in September against John Molina – the only fighter to beat Lundy – Lundy is instead putting his No. 1 ranking on the line against Beltran, sending a stern message to the champions who’ve yet to answer the bell.

“Once again, I’m going to show everybody that I don’t run or duck from anybody,” Lundy said. “The guy I’m fighting is solid. He’s coming to fight and he’s coming to win. He’s got a family to feed just like I have a family to feed.

“The difference between me and these other guys is a lot of other guys say it, but I’m a true throwback because I’ll fight anybody. I’m No. 1 right now, but you could sit on that lead and fall asleep, and then when you get your shot at a world title, you might not be ready. I want to stay busy and keep working.”

Beltran will certainly test Lundy’s endurance – and chin. The 30-year-old Sinaloa, Mexico native has stopped his opponent in each of his last nine wins, a streak that began in 2005 with a first-round knockout against Jaime Orrantia.

Even in defeat, Beltran is a handful; in his last two losses – both against previously-unbeaten opponents – Beltran went all 10 rounds, coming within two points on two of the three scorecards in a loss to Sharife Bogere in May of 2011 and in January losing by no more than four points on any of the scorecards in a unanimous-decision loss to undefeated Luis Ramos Jr.

This could be Beltran’s big break; having toiled in relative anonymity for years, he’s more known in some circles for being one of Manny Pacquiao’s sparring partners than he is for his own success inside the ring.

“I want to make a name myself,” Beltran said. “If I win, everything will change.”

The same goes for Lundy, who once again finds himself mixing it up with a dangerous puncher looking for his own signature win, similar to what he faced in March when he stepped to the plate against Dannie Williams, at the time a relatively unknown fighter who sent Lundy to the canvas in the opening round before the champion dominated the remainder of the bout en route to a unanimous-decision win.

“I saw his fight against Bogere,” Lundy said of Beltran. “He comes forward – nonstop pressure, but he’s a little slow. A guy like that, I can definitely handle, but I know he’s going to give it all he’s got. I’m ready for the challenge.”

While he prepares for Beltran, Lundy continues to keep his eye on the rest of the competition in the lightweight division, and the irony of DeMarco facing Molina in September certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed in Lundy’s camp. Lundy faced Molina in July of 2009 and led decisively on all three scorecards before Molina stopped him in the 11^th round, capturing Lundy’s North American Boxing Organization (NABO) title.

“They feel as though since John beat me they’ll fight him to get ready for ‘Hammerin’’ Hank,” Lundy said, “but like I tell everybody, John was taking a beating in that fight. That’s why he’s scared to fight me. John is old news. They know he’s done.

“Everybody talks about Molina in a rematch with me. I’d love to avenge that loss, but, at the end of the day, he wouldn’t get back in the ring with me.”

Molina wouldn’t have a choice if he were to pull off the upset against DeMarco in September and Lundy were still the No. 1 contender for the WBC title, which would more than likely set up a rematch for the world title, but, as Lundy said, “[DeMarco] knows John is shot, so that ain’t going to happen.”

Instead, Lundy is focusing on the task at hand, which is defending his title against another hungry opponent looking to bump him off the path to greatness.

“I know what I’m fighting for,” Lundy said. “I’ve got this fire burning inside me. I’m going to be great. I’m destined to be great. No one is going to put that fire out.”

“I’m ready to win this fight,” Beltran added. “The key is not to fight his fight and do my own thing – make him follow my lead. To me, he’s a future world champion, and once I beat him I know I’ll one day be a world champion, too.”

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time.EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

CES prepares to launch epic boxing tripleheader with three-city tour in March

Three shows, nine days, one world-class promoter – brace yourself this month for an amazing ride through the dynamic world of Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports. Spanning nine days between March 22^nd and 30^th, CES will promote three live boxing events in three cities, starting with the official launch of its 2012 Thursday Night Fight Series at the Twin River Event Center in Lincoln, R.I., on Thursday, March 22^nd, continuing Saturday, March 24^th with a spectacular heavyweight event at the Resorts Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, N.J., and culminating with the return of ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights” on Friday, March 30^th at the Foxwoods Resort Casino’s MGM Grand Theater in Ledyard, Conn., featuring two nationally-televised title bouts.

“Anyone who thinks boxing is dead should take a look at what we’re doing this month,” Burchfield said. “This sport is alive and well thanks to the loyal fans who pack arenas on a weekly basis, and our tripleheader this month will be no exception.

“We’ve got three dynamic shows in a nine-day span, not simply for the sake of promoting shows, but to provide boxing’s most loyal fans with the best and brightest this sport has to offer. Anyone can run a handful of shows in a short amount of time, but only a world-class promotion can bring you three standout cards featuring an eclectic mix of established veterans and up-and-coming talent.

“There’s truly something for everyone on this tripleheader, and we’re thrilled to not only reestablish our presence at familiar venues such as Foxwoods Resort Casino and Twin River, but to be breaking new ground at the breathtaking Resorts Hotel & Casino as well. This is a landmark stretch for Classic Entertainment & Sports and there’s no one we’d rather share it with than you, our loyal fans.”

These next three events feature an array of television-friendly showstoppers, world-ranked contenders, up-and-coming prospects and household names, starting with Providence, R.I., super middleweight Vladine Biosse (11-1-1, 6 KOs), a former two-time winner on “Friday Night Fights,” and New Bedford, Mass., welterweight Jason “School Boy” Pires (22-4-1, 9 KOs), both of whom will be in action March 22^nd at Twin River.

On March 24^th, undefeated Mariusz Wach (26-0, 14 KOs) of North Bergen, N.J., the World Boxing Council (WBC) International heavyweight champion who’s now ranked No. 6 in the world among heavyweights, will defend his title against hard-hitting veteran Tye Fields (49-4, 44 KOs) of Alberta, Canada (by way of Missoula, Mont.); and former world-rated light heavyweight Joey “K.O. Kid” Spina (26-1-2, 18 KOs) will return to the ring for the first time in a year in a half to face Jerson Ravelo (20-5, 12 KOs) of Newark, N.J., a former participant on “The Contender” reality television series.

Not to be outdone, the March 30^th Foxwoods show will feature two dynamic bouts, including Philadelphia native “Hammerin’” Hank Lundy (21-1-1, 11 KOs) – ranked No. 4 in the WBC – defending his North American Boxing Federation (NABF) lightweight title against No. 11-ranked “Dangerous” Dannie Williams (21-1, 17 KOs) in the 10-round main event. New Haven, Conn., native Elvin Ayala (24-5-1, 11 KOs), ranked No. 16 in the WBC, will defend his WBC U.S. National Boxing Council (USNBC) middleweight title against Hector Camacho Jr. (53-4-1, 28 KOs) in the 10-round co-feature. Both fights will air live on ESPN2 beginning at 10 p.m. ET.

The March 24^th heavyweight spectacular in Atlantic City will also be distributed in the United States by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DIRECTV, DISH Network and Avail-TVN for a suggested retail price of only $29.95.

“To have these shows available for nationwide and worldwide viewing is a major plus,” Burchfield said. “Our fan base continues to expand with each event as we attract viewers from multiple countries. The CES brand has grown tremendously in the past few years, and it’ll continue to develop during this unparalleled stretch. The possibilities are endless, and we’re only getting started.”

(Photos of Mariusz Wach and Jerson Ravello by Keisha Morrisey)

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time.EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Lundy issues warning to Williams‏;War of words between Lundy and Williams continues in lieu of lightweight title bout, Put up, or shut up!

With his opponent all but guaranteeing a victory, vocal lightweight champion“Hammerin’” Hank Lundy has issued yet another reply in hopes of ending the banter between he and Dannie Williams before the two settle their feud in the ring later this month.

“This kid is a joke,” Lundy said in response to Williams’ promise that he’ll be “fighting for a knockout” Friday, March 30^th, 2012when the two face one another for Lundy’s North American Boxing Federation (NABF) title in the main event of “All In,” presented by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports and broadcasted live on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights” from the Foxwoods Resort Casino’s MGM Grand Theater in Mashantucket, Conn.

“You can’t scare me. You can’t derail me, because I fight for a living. I’m going to hurt this boy. There’s an old saying that goes, ‘Your arms are too short to box with God.’ I’m not god, but in the ring I’m the closest thing to it.”

Lundy, ranked No. 4 in the World Boxing Council (WBC), No. 12 in the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and No. 7 in the World Boxing Organization (WBO), is searching for his second consecutive title defense and first since knocking out former world champion David Diaz on ESPN2 in August.

“We are thrilled to have this main event fight on ESPN’s FNF series from the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods and appreciate the work both promotional camps demonstrated to make this fight a reality,” said ESPN Director of Programming and AcquisitionsDoug Loughrey. “Our loyal fans are most familiar with both fighters, who had tremendous knockouts in 2011 on FNF, and hopefully the battle of words these two fighters have engaged in thus far will transfer to the ring for an action-filled and entertaining night on March 30^th.”

New Haven, Conn., native Elvin Ayala (24-5-1, 11 KOs), ranked No. 16 in the WBC, will defend his WBC U.S. National Boxing Council (USNBC) middleweight title against Hector Camacho Jr. (53-4-1, 28 KOs), the son of former four-time world championHector “Macho” Camacho Sr., in the 10-round co-feature.

The highly-anticipated title bout between Lundy (21-1-1, 11 KOs) and Williams (21-1, 17 KOs) could wind up as an early candidate for ESPN’s Fight of the Year. The war of words began in late December when Williams, ranked No. 1 in the NABF, vowed to “hurt” Lundy if the two were to face one another. Though Williams later claimed those words came from his promoter, Steve Smith of Rumble Time Promotions, Lundy issued a threat of his own – ironically on Valentine’s Day – promising a knockout victory.

“I’m going to take your heart, I’m going to crush it up, I’m going to break you down, and I’m going to knock you out,” Lundy said in February. “I put that on my kids. I’m going to hurt you. You’re going to feel what real pain is about.”

Williams fired back Monday, focusing primarily on his training camp in Youngstown, Ohio, with head trainer Jack Leow, and the thrill of fighting on national television, where he hopes to follow in the footsteps of fellow St. Louis veterans Deandre Latimore andDevon Alexander, both of whom won televised bouts in recent weeks.

The feud between he and Lundy has also gone viral with the two taunting one another through social networking.

“Lundy's talking so much [he] has made me loose,” Williams said Monday in a statement issued by Rumble Time Promotions. “You know the old saying, ‘The loudest person in the room is the weakest guy.’ His people have been saying I’ve never fought anybody. Well, we’ve fought one common opponent, Reggie Sanders. They went the distance [in 2006] and I nearly killed him. His head was dangling on the ropes. I hurt guys that I hit.”

“Of course, when you fight tomato cans they’re going to fall. Let’s be serious,” Lundy answered. “He keeps talking about his built-up record. He’s got all these knockouts, but who are those knockouts against? Let’s be real. When you get a real name on your resume, we’ll talk. I’ve been in the gym everyday for hours on end. I’ve been in there with guys bigger than me and I’m putting them to sleep. I can’t wait to show him what a real punch is.”

The Philadelphia native certainly has every reason to be confident. Since suffering the first and only loss of his career in 2010, he’s won his last three bouts, including a unanimous-decision win over former Venezuelan Olympian Patrick Lopez on ESPN2 in April to capture the then-vacant NABF title, and his subsequent knockout win over Diaz, one of FNF’s top finishes of the year.

“We’ve been doing two-a-days in training camp – two times a day with cardio and strength training,” Lundy said. “Our whole camp has featured two-a-days. I’m going to show the world I should be fighting for a world championship. The champs up there should be fighting me instead of ducking me.

“I’m going to make an example out of [Williams]. I’ll put it like this: The last guy they told me had a big right hand was Omri Lowther. What did I do? I took his right hand away,” added Lundy in reference to his unanimous-decision win over Lowther on ESPN in August of 2010. “He couldn’t touch me – and Lowther is a better fighter than Dannie Williams. I took that fight on four days’ notice. Let’s be serious.”

The undercard features Philadelphia’s Frankie Trader (8-0, 2 KOs) facing Adrian Perez (7-4-1, 1 KO) of Sarasota, Fla., in a six-round super featherweight bout; and Shelton, Conn., super middleweight Nick Lavin (2-2, 2 KOs) battling Steven Chadwick (0-3) of Jacksonville, Fla. New London, Conn., featherweight Shelito Vincent (1-0) will face Karen Dulin (2-10, 1 KO) of Mystic, Conn., in a four-round rematch; and Josh Crespo (0-1-1) of New Haven will take on Alfredo Garcia (2-0) of Sarasota in a four-round super bantamweight bout. New Haven welterweight Christian Lao (3-1, 1 KO) will face Thomas Miller (2-0, 2 KOs) of Huntington, W.V., in a four-round bout.

Light heavyweight Joe Smith Jr. (7-1, 7 KOs) of Long Island, N.Y.; Providence, R.I., cruiserweight Donte Wiggins (1-0, 1 KO); and newcomer Abner Lloveras of Barcelona, Spain – the winner of the Spanish Olympic Boxing Tournament in 2010 who also has won 14 victories on his resume in professional mixed martial arts – will be featured in separate four-round bouts.

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time.EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Calling all champs Lundy predicts win over Diaz on ESPN; aims for title shot in 2011

Lundy returns to ESPN Aug. 19th‏

He’s won 10 of his last 11 fights since 2008, captured two lightweight titles, fought in front of a worldwide audience four times in 16 months and is now ranked among the Top 20 in two major sanctioning bodies, yet Philadelphia’s “Hammerin’” Hank Lundy still hasn’t gotten the call to fight for a world title.

“I’m knocking at the door,” said Lundy, who’s promoted by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports. “I’ll fight anybody they put in front of me. What more do I have to do to show these guys I’m one of the top fighters in the world?”

The answer might come Friday, Aug. 19th, 2011 when Lundy defends his North American Boxing Federation (NABF) lightweight title against former world champion David Diaz in the 10-round co-feature of ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights” telecast at The Venue At Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Ind., presented by Hitz Entertainment in association with Banner Promotions.

This will be Lundy’s first title defense since capturing the belt in a win over Patrick Lopez on April 1st and his fifth consecutive bout on “Friday Night Fights” since April of 2010. A win over Diaz (36-3-1, 17 KOs), whose resume includes victories against former five-time world champion Erik Morales and former World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior welterweight champion Ener Julio in addition to a grueling battle against pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, would boost Lundy (20-1-1, 10 KOs) in the lightweight rankings and possibly lead to a major title shot by the end of the year.

“[World Boxing Association and WBO interim lightweight champion] Robert Guerrero, [WBA and WBO lightweight super champion] Juan Manuel Marquez – I can beat those guys,” Lundy said. “If they will give me a shot and let me prove my talent, I guarantee I will wipe them out with no problem.”

Until then, Lundy must deal with Diaz, who’s in the midst of his second comeback following a 10-month layoff. Diaz returned to the ring in January with a majority-decision win over Robert Frankel. The 35-year-old Chicago native originally left boxing for more than a year following his knockout loss to Pacquiao in 2008, which, at the time, earned Pacquiao his fifth world title in five different weight classes (he’s since accomplished the feat in eight separate weight classes).

Lundy is seeking his third consecutive win since losing his North American Boxing Organization (NABO) title to John Molina Jr. in July of 2009. He rebounded from that loss with a win over Omri Lowther two months later on ESPN and then captured the vacant NABF title with a hard-fought win over Lopez, a two-time Olympian (2000 and 2004) for the Venezuelan national team.



“I feel like Patrick Lopez was the toughest fight I ever had and I handled him well,” said Lundy, who won the fight by scores of 99-91, 97-92 and 95-94. “I’m not sleeping on Diaz, but he’s 35 years old, has no knockout punch and no defense.

“When he fought Pacquiao, he got hit with everything except the kitchen sink. He comes right at you, but it’s not like I’m going to go in there and brawl with him. I’m a smart, intelligent fighter with youth on my side. I’m going to break him down. He’s a southpaw, and I plan on fighting southpaw because the one thing I’ve noticed about southpaws is they don’t like to deal with other southpaws.”

Lundy is ranked 15th in the International Boxing Federation (IBF), 29th in the International Boxing Organization (IBO) and 16th in the World Boxing Council (WBC), while Diaz is 21st in the WBC, 7th in the WBO and 4th in the IBO. Diaz held the WBC lightweight title from 2006 to 2008 before losing to Pacquiao and then failed in his attempt to recapture the belt in a unanimous-decision loss to Humberto Soto (56-7-2, 32 KOs) in March of 2010 – just six months after he beat former world champion Jesus Chavez in Chicago.

“My southpaw side is my natural side, and when I hit him he’s going to feel it,” Lundy said. “I’m going to stick to the game plan and do what I need to do. I know Diaz will try to wear me down. That’s what these fighters do today. They let you take the early rounds and try to wear you down, but everyone who’s faced me knows I’m in great shape, so I won’t be worn down.

“Everyone I’ve fought, I’ve exposed. Even in the loss to Molina, I beat myself. That’s why he’s running from me. Molina is scared of me. If you look at the scorecards, I was beating him every round, and what people don’t know is I was sick as a dog and I still fought anyway. That’s the heart of a champion. That fight made me even more dangerous. These other champions know it and that’s why they won’t step in the ring with me.”

Lundy’s title defense against Diaz is part of a dynamic card featuring the 12-round main event rematch between light welterweight Ruslan Provodnikov (19-1, 13 KOs) and Mauricio Herrera (18-7, 7 KOs) of Lake Elsinore, Calif., who also fought in the main event of ESPN’s first telecast of the season with Herrera pulling off the upset.

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time.EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.