Philly Boxing Prospect “Hammerin” Hank Lundy Gets Tough Spoiler Aldo Valtierra

One of the hottest prospects on the East Coast, Philadelphia light welterweight “Hammerin’” Hank Lundy, is continuing the great “City of Brotherly Love” boxing tradition, determined to become Philly’s premier 135- to 140-pound fighter of contemporary times.

Lundy (15-0-1, 9 KOs) faces his toughest opponent, former WBC Fecarbox and WBA Fedecentro champion Aldo “El Pato” Valtierra (25-11, 13 KOs), Saturday night in the 10-round co-feature (Halloween) on the “Fright Night At The Sun” pro boxing card, presented by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc. (CES), at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

World-rated light heavyweight Joey “K.O. Kid” Spina (25-1-1, 17 KOs) headlines “Fright Night At The Sun” against former world champion Lou “Honey Boy” Del Valle (36-6-1, 22 KOs) in the 10-round main event.

Valtierra is a typical Mexican fighter – tough and well-conditioned with a straight-forward attack. He’s fought on national television numerous times and has only been stopped once in 36 pro fights. Fighting undefeated fighters like Lundy isn’t a new experience for Aldo, whose most recent action resulted in an upset victory against previously unbeaten and rated prospect Jorge Luis Teron (22-0-1).

Valtierra also has knocked off 15-0 Frankie Zepeda on ESPN2 and went the distance with former world champions Steven Luevano, Hector Acero Sanchez and Julio Pablo Chacon, along with world-title challengers Daniel Attach and Rogers Mtagwa.

“Hank is a throwback type of fighter,” promoter Jimmy Burchfield said. “He’s a gym rat who is always working out. He’s comfortable now with a great team — manager Ivan Cohen, and head trainer Sloan Harrison – so, all he has to be concerned with now is training and fighting.

“There’s a 2 ½-mile run in Lincoln Woods (R.I.), where I’ve brought Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard to train. It’s all hills, but Hank flies around it and is barely breathing hard at the end. He is really coming into his own and ready to fight a ranked guy. Hank wants to fight for a title and beating Valtierra should get him there. This is without question Hank’s toughest fight as a pro.”

In his last action in September, Lundy stopped Justo Sanchez in the sixth round to capture the vacant UBC light welterweight crown. Hank’s most notable wins to date were a fifth-round TKO against previously unbeaten Jason Cintron (10-0) and 4-round decision over previously undefeated Esteban Almarez (7-0). The only blemish on Lundy’s pro record is a controversial draw with 8-0 Darnell Jiles Jr. on ESPN (Mar. 28, 2008), in which most observers felt Hank won.

“I want to be the first big lightweight/junior welterweight from Philly,” the 25-year-old Lundy explained. “It’s a lot on my shoulders, but I welcome it because I want to give fans what they want to see. Most know that ‘Hammerin’’ Hank is coming to fight. I don’t do nothing else but train hard. It’s search-and-destroy for me. I love my family, but I get away from everybody when I go into training for a fight.

“That’s why I want to destroy my opponent; he kept me away from my family. I keep it easy. Most Philly fighters today are in the gym to train for a fight. I keep it up after a fight. When a call comes for a fight, I’m ready to go because I’ve been training hard, staying focused and there’s no pressure. I will be world champion someday.”

“Being a Philly fighter is a big key for me. I know my opponent knows he’s fighting a tough Philly fighter, probably the toughest he’s ever fought, so he trains harder than usual for me. He knows it’s going to be a war. In any gym in this city, you walk in and can see a main-event type fight in a sparring session. I’m smart enough to know what guys to spar and what gyms to go to for it.”

On the undercard in separate 4-round bouts are a pair of promising Hartford (CT) prospects from Puerto Rico, Hartford junior middleweight David Bauza (2-0, 2 KOs) against Rafael Jastrzebski, and light welterweight Edwin Soto (1-0, 1 KO) of New Havem versus pro-debuting Rasheed Francis.

In other 4-round fights on the undercard, 2008 Olympian Sadam Ali (3-0, 2 KOs) meets a welterweight opponent to be determined; lightweight Ryan “The Polish Prince” Kielczewski (5-0, 2 KOs), the 2008 National Golden Gloves Tournament runner-up from Quincy (MA), faces Israel Suarez (2-2); another undefeated Philadelphia lightweight, Frank Trader (6-0, 2 KOs), takes on Gustavo Daily; and 2008 New York Golden Glove champion light heavyweight Joe Smith, Jr., of Long Island, makes his long-awaited pro debut vs. TBA. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Tickets for “Fright Night At The Sun,” priced at $27.00, $50.00 and $80.00, are available to purchase by calling CES (401.724.2253/2254), going online at www.cesboxing.com or at the Mohegan Sun Box Office.

Ticketmaster customers may log on to www.ticketmaster.com, call Ticketmaster’s national toll-free charge by phone (1.800.745.3000) or visit any Ticketmaster outlet.