You’ll feel real pain!’Lundy Predicts Knockout
in Next Month’s NABF Title Defense Against Williams

(February 14th) – Reigning North American Boxing Federation (NABF) lightweight champion “Hammerin’” Hank Lundy has heard all the threats from Dannie Williams as the two prepare to face one another for Lundy’s title on Friday, March 30th, 2012 at Foxwoods Resort Casino’s MGM Grand Theater.

There’s speculation that Williams’ vow to “hurt” Lundy didn’t actually come from Williams himself, but there’s no doubt who the voice is behind Lundy’s most recent response.

“Everything Hammerin’ Hank say comes out my mouth,” Lundy said, “and I do [it].

“So, if I tell you I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it. I told David Diaz I was going to knock him out, and I knocked him out. And I’m telling you, 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.

“I put that on my kids. I’m going to hurt you. You’re going to feel what real pain is about.”

Lundy’s 10-round showdown against Williams (21-1, 17 KOs) is the main event of “All In,” presented by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports, and will air live on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights,” along with the 10-round co-feature between World Boxing Council U.S. National Boxing Council (WBC USNBC) middleweight champion Elvin Ayala (25-4-1, 11 KOs) of New Haven, Conn., and Hector Camacho Jr. (53-4-1, 28 KOs) of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Philadelphia’s Lundy (21-1-1, 11 KOs) has risen to No. 4 in the WBC and is seeking his first title defense after capturing the belt in April against former Venezuelan Olympian Patrick Lopez, also broadcasted on “Friday Night Fights.” Williams, a Saint Louis native, has won nine consecutive bouts – six by knockout – since suffering the first and only loss of his career against Eloy Perez in 2009 and is now ranked No. 11 in the WBC and No. 1 in the NABF.

The buzz began in late December when Williams’ promoter, Rumble Star Promotions president Steve Smith, issued a press release in which Williams was quoted as saying, “I hurt guys I fight. Lundy can talk all he wants, but that’s going to happen to him, too.”

Lundy – one of boxing’s most celebrated road warriors – challenged Williams to face him on his turf.

“If y’all aren’t coming to Philadelphia, Rhode Island, or Connecticut to fight ‘Hammerin’’ Hank, then we don’t have a fight,” Lundy said. “I’m tired of going into people’s backyards.”

The only problem, according to Williams, is the initial boast didn’t come from the fighter, but rather his promoter – a minor drawback that has done little to suppress the excitement since Williams remains as confident now as he appeared to be in December.

“I guess they just wanted to spark the fight,” Williams said, “but, yeah, I feel I can hurt him.

“I’ve got speed. I’ve got power. Hank is talking a lot of smack like I’m not supposed to be in the ring with him, or that I haven’t fought anybody. He’s writing me off already. That’s his biggest mistake.”

Lundy has repeatedly referred to the discrepancy in competition between the two fighters. Since 2010, Lundy has won five of his last six fights, and the combined record of his opponents during that stretch is a remarkable 120-9-3. Since losing to Perez, Williams has faced five opponents with 10 or more losses; his last opponent, 37-year-old journeyman Fernando Trejo, has twice as many losses (18) as Lundy’s last six opponents combined.

“You fought a bunch of nobodies,” Lundy said. “Then you have the damn audacity to talk trash to me.”

“He said I haven’t fought anybody? We’ll see when I step up and fight him,” Williams countered.

The one advantage Williams might have is anonymity; Lundy has appeared on ESPN five times in the last year and a half, while Williams made his network television debut in August with a knockout win over Antonio Cervantes.

“They’re mad because they ain’t got nothing on me – no television footage, nothing on YouTube,” Williams said. “I’ve got a lot of people wondering who I am.”

Conversely, Williams has watched several of Lundy’s recent bouts – “Only a few times,” he said. “I don’t need to watch it” – to sharpen his game plan for March 30th.

“I know he comes to fight, but he moves a lot trying to be slick and he gets careless sometimes,” Williams said. “He’s never fought a fighter like me who’ll come at him every round – a fighter that can box and that can punch, too. I didn’t win national titles as an amateur with knockouts; I won them by boxing.

“I don’t think he can hurt me. He thinks he’s fast, but I don’t think he’s faster than me.”

The long-running feud will finally be settled March 30th. Lundy has yet to meet his match inside the ring, but it appears he’s met his equal in terms of unapologetic confidence. Lundy has never faced an opponent he didn’t think he could beat, and Williams is equally fearless, even if he hasn’t done all the talking himself.

“All I want is my opportunity,” Williams said, “and he’s just another person in the way.”

Tickets for “All In” are $40.00, $65.00, and $125.00 (VIP ringside) and can be purchased by calling CES at 401.724.2253/2254, or the Foxwoods box office at 800.200.2882, online at www.cesboxing.com or www.foxwoods.com. Doors open 6 p.m. with the first bout scheduled for 7.

For more information on the undercard, stay tuned to www.cesboxing.com.

Contacts:
Michael Parente, CES, (401) 263-4990 or michael@cesboxing.com.
Shannan McNair, Foxwoods Resort Casino, (860) 396-6727 or smcnair@mptn-nsn.gov.
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Let the Games Begin! Ayala Hopes to Seize Opportunity
in Next Month’s Title Defense Against Camacho Jr

(February 8th) – Elvin Ayala felt the excitement the moment he found out he’d be fighting Hector Camacho Jr. next month on national television.

“I started getting goose bumps,” he said.

Just don’t expect him to be star-struck once the bell rings. Ayala (25-4-1, 11 KOs) is all business as he prepares for the first defense of his World Boxing Council U.S. National Boxing Council (WBC USNBC) middleweight title in the co-feature of “All In,” presented by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports on Friday, March 30th, 2012 at Foxwoods Resort Casino’s MGM Grand Theater. Ayala’s 10-round showdown against Camacho Jr. (53-4-1, 28 KOs) will be televised on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights.”

“He’s coming in to fight hard,” Ayala said, “but I plan on leaving with the belt.”

The 10-round main event of “All In” features Philadelphia’s “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), the NABF’s No. 1 contender.

“The cards that Jimmy and his group put together are always a knockout with the fans that come to enjoy a fantastic night of boxing,” said Bill Satti, Foxwoods’ Director of Public Affairs. “We’re proud to welcome his fantastic team and ESPN back to Foxwoods for ‘Friday Night Fights’ on March 30th. As we celebrate our 20th anniversary, we always like to reflect on organizations such as CES that have helped make us the resort we are today.”

Ayala – the New Haven, Conn., native now nicknamed “The Lycan,” which is short for lycanthrope, the Greek word for “werewolf” – has won four consecutive bouts since the beginning of 2011 and is now ranked No. 16 among middleweights in the WBC. Camacho Jr., a San Juan, Puerto Rico native who is the son of former four-time world champion Hector “Macho” Camacho Sr., will be fighting for just the second time in 16 months when he faces Ayala in March, but he recently added a new element to his training camp; the 33-year-old southpaw is currently leaving his home in New York City and traveling to Puerto Rico to train with his father for the first time in his career.

“You’re going to see a different Camacho – full of energy and life,” Camacho Jr. said. “I’m coming here to win the fight and look good. Not just to win, but to win impressively. I’m fighting a live fighter, so I’ve got to fight with smarts and use my experience and intelligence to win, and make it an easy fight.

“By no means is [facing] Elvin Ayala an easy fight, but there are mistakes from the short clip I’ve seen of him. Get ready for a fight; we’re going to have fun. Like the show is called, it’s ‘All In’ – it’s now or nothing … for both of us.”

With Camacho Jr. turning 34 in September and Ayala recently celebrating his 31st birthday, both fighters are facing the reality that this could be their final run at competing for a world title.
Four years ago, Ayala – then just 27 – came within 28 seconds of going the distance with unbeaten International Boxing Federation world middleweight champion Arthur Abraham before getting knocked out in the 12th and final round.

Camacho Jr. has never fought for a world title, but he’s a former WBC Caribbean Boxing Federation light middleweight and United States Boxing Organization (USBO) welterweight champion. He also spent a brief period ranked among the Top 10 welterweights in the world after beating Hartford’s Israel “Pito” Cardona for the then-vacant WBC CABOFE title in 1990.

Capturing the WBC USNBC belt is a step in the right direction for both fighters. Ayala has risen to No. 16 in the rankings since he won the title with a win over Derrick Findley in July. Past winners of the USNBC title in different weight classes include former two-time world champion Paul “The Punisher” Williams and current World Boxing Association (WBA) super world light welterweight and IBF light welterweight champion Lamont Peterson, who upset Amir Khan by split decision for both titles in December.

The key for both fighters is living up to expectations, particularly Camacho Jr., who is often compared to his father, a consummate showman remembered as one of boxing’s most colorful fighters during his 30-year career.

“My father was one of the best fighters to ever lace up the gloves, so I’ve got some tough shoes to fill,” Camacho Jr. said. “People like him only come along once every 20 years, but I’m here, and it’s my time. I’m coming to win.”

Ayala has fought in recent years with the pressure of providing for his family and following in the footsteps of “Bad” Chad Dawson, the New Haven light heavyweight who captured the first of his two world titles in 2007 and is looking to reclaim the belt in April in a rematch against Bernard Hopkins. Born in Philadelphia, but raised in New Haven, Ayala has arguably become the Elm City’s most popular fighter, a distinction he’s learned to accept.

“At first, it was hard, but I feel good about it now,” Ayala said. “Now it’s like they’re giving this to me, and they’re expecting me to do something with it, so I’m going to do something with it now.

“This is serious. Throughout my life, where I come from, the poverty is hard. Where I lived with my brothers and I, the food that we ate – the food we didn’t eat – the life we didn’t have, it was crazy, and now I’m here in this moment standing in front of you thinking, ‘Wow, this is really happening!’

“All this love, all this energy, I’m going to put it toward something that I feel within myself.”

Toward the end of last year, Ayala – reflecting on his most recent accomplishments – promised to “unleash” in 2012. The new nickname is the first step.

“I’ve always been a wolf-like character,” he said. “Even my family crest has two wolves on it.”

The beast is back, and Camacho Jr. must do his best to avoid facing the wrath on March 30th.

“These are the kind of fights you don’t think twice about,” Camacho Jr. said. “The opportunity is right in front of us.”

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Go ‘all in,’ or go home! Lundy, Ayala Putting Titles on the Line
in Front of Worldwide Audience March 30th

(Lundy / Ayala)