"I look forward to going in there and putting on a boxing clinic, showing everyone that I learn from my mistakes, cashing in, and getting this title...I had 10, maybe 12 fights at 140, and most of my knockouts came from 140. So I'm actually natural at 140. When I get down to 135, it kills my body. Look for a power punching, fast, Hammerin' Hank Lundy! It's going to be a new look, and I'm going to campaign at 140 now...I feel comfortable. A lot of people are going to see that Hammerin' Hank is ready for his shot. Losing the extra weight can weaken your body. Now you're going to see I'm going to be stronger at this weight class," stated jr. welterweight contender Hank Lundy, who talked about his upcoming clash with Lucas Matthysse and much more. Check it out!
AP: Hey man! I haven't spoken to you in a while. It's almost been a year.
HL: Yeah, yeah man! I've got some good news for you. We're ready to get it now.
AP: Awesome! I've got a few notes of things here I want to ask you about. First of all, I just wanted to get your thoughts on your last fight, even though it's been a little while. What did you think about the fight and the decision? I think it was a close fight and could have went either way.
HL: Well, you know, both of us came in there two hungry fighters. We are two fighters that don't duck anybody, but I really felt I won the fight. I know I made a couple of errors in the fight. When I got on the ropes, I was a sitting target, but I was fighting off the ropes too. When I was in the middle of the ring, I settled down and I did more work. I was scoring during the fight.
AP: As I watched the fight and saw you on the ropes, I thought that it didn't look like you were getting hurt, but depending on where the judges were at, it could have looked like Beltran was scoring.
HL: Yeah, yeah. I felt as though since I have never fought in Atlantic City, maybe if I had fought there before, I would have got a good shake. It's not like being in Philly, although I've never fought in my hometown. I felt as though I won the fight, but all I can do is learn from it and move on.
AP: That's all you can do. So tell everyone what's next for you?
HL: Lucas Matthysse on Showtime on the Devon Alexander card. That's on January 19th. It's for the WBC interim title at 140.
AP: That's big news. So have you guys watched the tape and have a plan for Matthysse?
HL: You know, I watched Zab (Judah) fight him, and I'm an orthodox fighter, but I can go both ways, and when Zab was fighting him, I thought he was beating him easily on the southpaw side. I fight both ways, and I have my strategy to go in and do what I do. I know one thing about it; I'm not taking one thing from Zab, he is a good fighter, but I feel as though I'm a better boxer. I'm quicker. I feel like this, I have youth on my side. Zab still has his pop and can fight, but he's not explosive like he was when he first started. I've got much respect for Zab, a lot of love for him, but I'm calling it as I see it.
AP: Yeah, he's definitely getting older.
HL: I look forward to going in there and putting on a boxing clinic, showing everyone that I learn from my mistakes, cashing in, and getting this title.
AP: I feel this is a great opportunity for you. Is this the first time you will have fought at 140?
HL: No, I actually started off at 140. I had 10, maybe 12 fights at 140, and most of my knockouts came from 140. So I'm actually natural at 140. When I get down to 135, it kills my body. Look for a power punching, fast, Hammerin' Hank Lundy! It's going to be a new look, and I'm going to campaign at 140 now.
AP: They say Matthyse is a really hard puncher. What do you have to say about that?
HL: If you look at my career, he's from Venezuela, I fought Patrick Lopez. To me, he is the same as Patrick Lopez. Lopez is one of the best fighters I've ever fought; tough, strong and could crack, I used the range on him. That's what you have to do with this guy, make him walk into shots. You just have to watch out for that right hand, but I've been in there with some killers. My record shows it, so i'm gonna go out there and put on a show and do what I gotta do to win this fight.
AP: It's going to be on Showtime. That's a big deal.
HL: Yeah, it is a big deal. Like I tell everybody, hard work pays off. Sometimes it' not a good route to go out there and fight bums.
AP: On a different subject, didn't you recently do some sparring with Adrien Broner?
HL: Yeah, I was out in camp with Adrien Broner. We put on a show. Every day it was like a world-class title fight, but we were just sparring. This week, maybe next week, I'm going to Cincinnati to train with Mike Stafford. He's the newest member of Team Hammer. I'll go to Cincinnati to spar with Adrien Broner to get ready for this fight, do what I gotta do, and put on a show.
AP: What did you think about his fight with DeMarco?
HL: With that fight, I told everybody he was going to knock him out. If I had gotten that fight, the same thing would have happened. He would have gotten knocked out.
AP: So I take it that we will never see Lundy/Broner, being that you guys are friends.
HL: I don't think it's going to happen. Now we have the same trainer and we are friends, but at the end of the day, it's business. Right now, we are cool; we have mutual respect for each other. He's at 135 and I'm at 140. I'm more natural at 140. I nearly had to kill myself to get to 135. I feel comfortable. A lot of people are going to see that Hammerin' Hank is ready for his shot. Losing the extra weight can weaken your body. Now you're going to see I'm going to be stronger at this weight class.
AP: I think 140 is an exciting division. There are some good fights to be made there. Everybody is all about Brandon Rios. What did you think about the Rios and Alvarado fight?
HL: It was a good fight. One thing I like about Brandon Rios is he puts on a fight. That's what I do. I'm a fighting fighter and I put on a show. He kinda does the same thing, except he gets hit a lot. If you put a fighter/boxer in there that knows how to move around and use the ring, he'll have no chance.
AP: People are speculating that he may still fight Pacquiao in the future, even though Pacquiao lost this past weekend. What do you think about that? It seems that it will be hard for him to handle movement from someone like Pacquiao.
HL: Exactly. If there's a good boxer that knows how to work the ring, he's going to have trouble. If you stand there right in front of a banger, of course they are going to come out on top, but make the guy fight and box and you are going to see something different.
AP: Hank, I appreciate your time today. It's always a pleasure to speak with you. Is there anything else you would like to say before I go?
HL: When you see me fight on January 19th on Showtime, you'll see a new Hammerin' Hank. Hammerin' Hank is coming to a city and town near you. It's Hammer Time! And I will be the new WBC Interim Champ! It's Hammer Time!