For Hank Lundy, it has indeed been a long and adventurous road in the sport of professional boxing. The question is whether that road will come to an end sometime soon.
Lundy comes into Sony Hall in Manhattan on June 29 for the main event on the card that is being staged by Larry Goldberg and Boxing Insider Promotions. For many observers, it is going to be the toughest career test for unbeaten junior welterweight Kurt Scoby. But at the same time, it is a “last stand” for Lundy, who has seen and done it all but has lost five in a row and is literally trying to salvage his career at age 39.
Let’s talk about how he got to this place.
Like Scoby, Lundy has a background in football. He was good enough in high school that he received a partial scholarship offer from Kutztown University, which has sent seven players to the NFL, including wide receiver Andre Reed. But he didn’t go.
Instead, boxing beckoned, and Lundy took off on a career that saw him win 65 of 70 fights, with a runner-up finish in the 2005 National Golden Gloves. He also boxed in the 2007 Pan-Am Games, so he’s got a robust resume in the simon pure ranks.
His pro debut was in July 2006, taking out Steve Thomas in one round.
Even though he is from Philadelphia, Lundy has a reputation of taking his act on the road, often into the backyard of his opponent. In many ways, he is the consummate Philadelphia fighter.
One of those treks took him to Western New York to tackle undefeated Darnell Giles, fighting before hometown fans. He was held to a draw, his only blemish in his first nineteen fights as a pro.
In April 2010, Lundy completed a dominant performance against Tyrese Hendrix, who came in with an undefeated record and left with perhaps one round to his credit as Lundy beat him for the NABO lightweight title.
John Molina Jr. finally took Lundy’s measure with a decision win in July 2010, and while that was a downer, Lundy bounced back and was able to win the NABF crown over Patrick Lopez the following April. Then he entered the lion’s den against Olympian and former world champ David Diaz in Chicago. Lundy came back from a knockdown to stop Diaz in the sixth round.
It wasn’t until July 2012 that Lundy suffered another loss. This time it was somewhat costly, as he took a #1 WBC rating coming into the festivities. But Ray Beltran surprised him with a narrow decision victory. This one sent Lundy into the 140-pound division. He wasn’t greeted well, as Viktor Postol took a 12-round decision from him in a fight that took place in the Ukraine. But typical of Lundy’s resilient mental makeup, he returned and bested Nigeria’s Ajose Olusegan on a surprisingly easy decision.
No stranger to disappointment, Lundy lost other fights, including a split decision to Thomas Dulorme and a technical decision to Mauricio Herrera (fight stopped on accidental head butts). But he was always able to bounce back with something.
And unquestionably, the career highlight for Lundy was his opportunity to reach the mountaintop. And for him, it was a fight for the WBO world junior welterweight championship held by Terence Crawford, which took place in February 2016.
Lundy really played it up. He engineered a confrontation with Crawford at the press conference and the weigh-in. But in the end, while Lundy was tougher than expected against a lot of opponents, he wasn’t able to match skills with Crawford, considered by many to be the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. As a result, he was stopped in the fifth round.
The recent years have not been kind; granted, he has been facing very capable fighters, but he has lost his last five bouts. Most recently (April 15), he was stopped in one round by Ernesto Mercado in an attempt to win the NABA junior welterweight title.
He insists he has some more left in those fists, in that mind and in that heart. What also might be a concern for Kurt Scoby is that Lundy has 290 rounds of professional boxing under his belt. So if he could be handicapped by lack of experience against anybody, he’s found the guy.
Tickets for the June 29 show are priced at $95, $125, $200 and $325 and are available through TicketWeb. For information about tables, contact [email protected]. Doors open at 6:30 PM, with first bell slated for 7:30 PM.
Established in 1997 as a premier boxing news and information destination, Boxing Insider has, over the course of the last ten months, transitioned into the promotional business. This will be Boxing Insider’s fifth professional boxing promotion.
Sony Hall is located at 235 W 46th St. in Manhattan, at the bottom of the Paramount Hotel, directly across from the Imperial Theater.
This event will stream free of charge on BoxingInsider.com.
