"I'm one of the top guys at 140. I'm actually in the top 5 in the world. These guys right now are scared to fight me. All I can do is keep knocking off whoever they put in front of me. But you know, I've been calling out the big names, but these guys are scared to fight me, so what more can I do? Me and J [Prince] gonna have to put our heads together and go get these boys...it's all easy; that's why they are running from me. At the end of the day, this is my second time being top 10 in the world, once at 35 and now at 140, so my skills speak for itself and that's why these guys are running because I'm a dangerous man," stated jr. welterweight contender Hank Lundy, who voiced his frustrations about the unwillingness of other 140-pound contenders to face him. Check out what else he had to say!
PC: I bumped into you in Vegas when you were down there to make a little noise and call out some of the top guys at 140. You feel these guys are avoiding you since you have shown that you are taking this game serious, right?
HL: Yeah, well, you know, I'm one of the top guys at 140. I'm actually in the top 5 in the world. These guys right now are scared to fight me. All I can do is keep knocking off whoever they put in front of me. But you know, I've been calling out the big names, but these guys are scared to fight me, so what more can I do? Me and J [Prince] gonna have to put our heads together and go get these boys.
PC: You have been a good fighter for a long time, but you never really had that backing. Now that you have J Prince behind you, it's gotta be a good feeling, man.
HL: Ah man, most definitely; especially me coming from Philly and coming up out the hood. It's like now there is a lot of stuff I don't have to do no more. I just have to train and let J do the rest and that's a blessing. The hard work will pay off at the end of the day.
PC: In the fight against Ajose, you fought primarily as a southpaw in which you told me that's your natural stance.
HL: (Laughing)
PC: You truly are a different animal when you are focused on the task at hand. How did it feel to put on that type of performance, because you have been telling everyone you are capable of that?
HL: First and foremost, I told everybody that they hadn't seen the best Hank Lundy. Truthfully, I started boxing at the age of 18 and turned pro at 23. I got like 10 years under my belt and now you are starting to see a complete Hank Lundy. I told y'all, man, it don't matter who y'all put in the ring with me, I'm gonna make 'em look like they don't belong in there. This guy had 31 wins and 1 loss and I treated him like he was an amateur, and everything else speaks for itself.
PC: Can we expect to see you fight southpaw a lot more or is it depending upon the opponent?
HL: You know, in boxing, everything is mental. If you beat a guy mentally, the physical part is nothing. I knew southpaws are rare to fighting, that's why sometimes I fight right-handed because I know guys don't want to deal with my speed and my punching power from the southpaw side, so what I did was use that trick against him and beat him mentally and he couldn't do nothing with me. When I fought southpaw, I took all advantages from him and it messed him up in each round.
PC: When you look around the 140-pound division, what do you see?
HL: At 140, I see easy work. Them guys out there...it's all easy; that's why they are running from me. At the end of the day, this is my second time being top 10 in the world, once at 35 and now at 140, so my skills speak for itself and that's why these guys are running because I'm a dangerous man. It's easy work here. These guys are scared to fight me. I done called out everybody. They talked about Matthysse and I said give me him. They called him the baddest man on the planet and I still haven't got a word on that. Right now, I'm currently #2 in the WBC and we got our fellow brother Danny Garcia from Philly...actually, I'm next up to fight him and if he don't move up to 47, he gotta face me and that they don't want.
PC: When can we expect to see you in the ring again or when would you like to be back in there?
HL: Me and J been talking and we were trying to get Molina on a card, but he punked out. He had no opponent and I told him I would come in there as an opponent; let's get it on. HBO said that fight could be made as the main event in January. But the thing about it is Molina is not gonna step up and fight. At the end of the day, he made a statement once saying once he grabbed a world title, he would fight me, but I don't need him to tell you the truth. The world seen what happened. But truth be told, anybody out there, we working and we ready for whatever.
PC: How did it come together for you to hook up with J Prince? I saw you walking through the MGM with him and still didn't really put two and two together.
HL: (Laughing) It came from the David Diaz fight when I went to Chicago and took my belt down there. I knocked David Diaz out like I told the world I would do. I went into his hometown and on the internet, I seen they had him set to fight Marquez if he would have got past me and I'm like, "Man, you just gonna write me off and move on?" I said that fight wouldn't go past 6 and I knocked him out in the 6th. After that, Andre Ward was commentating and me and J kind of linked up through that, you know.
PC: I appreciate the time. I expect to see big things coming from you in 2014. Is there anything else you want to say in closing?
HL: Y'all know what it is, man. Hammerin Hank coming to a city or town near you to put the hammer down and we will be back in that ring before you know it.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]