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HANK LUNDY: "I BELONG UP THERE WITH MAYWEATHER AND PACQUIAO"

By Percy Crawford | October 12, 2010
HANK LUNDY:

Most of these guys that I'm fighting are not even on my level. I belong up there with Mayweather and Pacquiao and some of these top guys in the world. I believe I will give these guys trouble. People will say, 'You're the next Mayweather,' and this and that, but I believe in my heart that once I get to that big stage, these guys are going to have problems with me," stated lightweight contender Hank Lundy, who strongly believes that his talent is on par with the biggest names in the sport. Check out what else he had to say about his future plans as he looks forward to taking his career to the next level.

PC: How are things going, man?

HL: Good good, man!

PC: Congrats on your win a little while back. I'm sure the Molina loss didn't sit well with you because you took that fight on short notice and in his backyard.

HL: Yeah, I wanted to come back with a knockout win on TV, but I improved on a lot of things and I accept the win. I give myself a B in that fight.

PC: You must have been in the gym to accept a fight on those terms.

HL: I'm always in the gym and my motto is this is my job. This is what I do. Most of these fighters will get a big fight, they get paid and then they take off. Not me, man, I stay in the gym 24/7. This is what I get paid to do. I wasn't feeling good in the Molina fight, but I still went in there and fought. Molina's own trainer told me they shouldn't have stopped the fight and said I was winning the fight. I asked him, "What's good with a rematch?" He said, "You have something Molina don't have and we're going to stay away from you as far as we can." I just wanted to show the world that that wasn't the real "Hammerin" Hank. I was winning every round of that fight. I wanted to show the world what a focused "Hammerin" Hank could do.

PC: Where would you like the win to propel you and how do you feel about the talent at 140 pounds?

HL: Most of these guys that I'm fighting are not even on my level. I belong up there with Mayweather and Pacquiao and some of these top guys in the world. I believe I will give these guys trouble. People will say, "You're the next Mayweather," and this and that, but I believe in my heart that once I get to that big stage, these guys are going to have problems with me.

PC: How important is it that you stay in shape in case something comes along, like in your last fight?

HL: It's very important. I was going to take the fight regardless of where it was or who it was. I was going to go out there and beat him convincingly to where they had no choice but to give me the fight.

PC: When people hear you say things like you're on Mayweather's level or Pacquiao's level, they feel you are just a loudmouth or cocky fighter. What is the biggest misperception about Hank Lundy?

HL: A lot of people don't know, when Mayweather was coming up, and a lot of these great fighters that are now great, when they were coming up, they were talkers too. They backed it up and I do back it up. One of the things is...this is a free world and you can express yourself however you want to and that's what I do. A lot of people don't know, but sometimes when you talk like that, it scares your opponents. This is mental warfare and I'm trying to get every advantage I can. Once you scare them mentally, all you have to do is go do the physical part. That comes with being a smart fighter and most of these guys haven't arrived yet to be at that level.

PC: How much have you learned coming from the tough Philadelphia gyms?

HL: Aw man, that actually helped too. Growing up in the hood I was always the short guy and we always fought a lot. I had the fighting in me naturally, but it wasn't until my last year of high school when I got into the boxing game because I actually knocked somebody out in the streets. In the streets of Philadelphia, I put it like this, if you can walk the streets of Philadelphia fighting and going through hell, in the ring, it should be easy. And that's how I feel about it. I've gone through hell and I'm grateful from where I came from to even be making some money, maybe go on to be world champ and one day even be rich.

PC: You had 4 fights last year and you have 4 already this year, with a possible date at the end of the month. How important is that activity for you?

HL: It's a big thing because if you're sitting around and you don't fight, the things that you've been working on, you have to start all over again when you go back to the gym. Each fight you learn something different, whether it be mentally or physically.

PC: You are only 26 years old. Are you happy with the progression you have made so far in your career?

HL: I put it like this, I'm a late bloomer. I started at the age of 18. I had 2 years in the amateurs and I took off from there. In the amateurs, I was rated #5 in the world at 140 and I did that in 2 years. So coming around now to my pro career, I haven't even started peaking yet. Most of the guys that are 26 have peaked. I haven't started peaking yet because most of the things that I am learning, I'm still putting it all together. So once I start putting it all together, it will be a cake walk. I'm not going to lie, it's easy in there. As long as I listen to my corner and do everything right, it should be easy. It is easy to me and once I start peaking, it's going to be easier.

PC: It was good to catch up with you. Best of luck to you my man. Is there anything you want to say in closing?

HL: Just let everyone know to watch out for "Hammerin" Hank!



[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]

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