Cameron Hammond sent a message to the rest of the welterweight division with a stunning knockout of Thai southpaw Denkamon Pakdee Gym in Perry Park, New South Wales, on Saturday night, October 3.
The 2012 Olympian dominated the contest from the opening bell, scoring a knockdown in the fifth and standing count in the sixth, before finishing things a round later with a devastating left hook to the jaw.
Hammond is known for his silky boxing skills, but this was a punch that will make the 147 lb division sit up and take notice of his power.
“I feel my power is developing with every fight,” Hammond, now 14-0 (8 KOs), said. “That was the fourth opponent I’ve stopped in a row and I think there’s plenty more to come. I knew he was gone as soon as the punch landed. I couldn’t have thrown it any better because it was a beaut.
“It’s always a bit worrying for a boxer when your opponent goes to the canvas hard so I’m glad Gym is ok and I’m sure he’ll go on to have a great career.”
While it is still early days for the Moree man, he is keen to add further titles to his WBA Oceania and WBC Eurasia Pacific crowns and has an eye on the Commonwealth strap. Hammond won an eliminator for the 53 nation alliance’s championship when he halted Jese Ravudi in May.
“The Commonwealth title is a very prestigious title with a lot of history and it’s definitely a good step forwards for me,” he said.
“I’ll probably have to travel to England to get a shot, but that’s fine by me. My promoter, Ricky Hatton, is based over there and I liked the country when I was in the Olympics so I’m happy to pack my gloves and gumshield whenever I get the call.”