Friday Night Wrap: Hank Lundy Hammers Angelo Santana
Photos by Tom Casino for Showtime
by Gautham Nagesh
Philadelphia lightweight Hammerin’ Hank Lundy gave Cuban import Angelo Santana a boxing lesson in the main event of a strong edition of ShoBox from Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center. Lundy’s win was the most notable on an excellent Friday Night for fight fans, including the debut of an intriguing tournament from ESPN.
Santana hadn’t fought since losing to Baha Mamadjonov last April by ninth-round stoppage. Many questioned his decision to come back against Lundy, a battle-tested veteran from the City of Brotherly Love. Philly fighters are always tough and Lundy is no exception. He stood his ground throughout the fight and traded with Santana, despite the Cuban’s reputation as a fearsome puncher. Unfortunately for Santana, his power and his will both seemed to evaporate after the first two rounds.
After showing improvement in the first two rounds, Santana simply couldn’t figure out the skillful Lundy. Hank took control after making an early switch from orthodox to the southpaw stance. From then on he used a stiff right jab to hold Santana at bay, followed by occasional flurries of power shots. Santana barely jabbed at all, and only occasionally bull-rushed Lundy awkwardly. Lundy’s jab and movement kept the fight at distance and Santana off-balance for the entire fight.
Lundy’s domination picked up late, with Santana looking both out of shape and out of his depth. Hank floored Santana with a looping right hand to the chin in the 9th (below), then poured on the damage in the 10th to cruise to a unanimous decision. All three judges had it 98-91, reflecting the one-sided nature of the bout. Since we love criticizing boxing officials, it’s only right to note that this Ohio panel did their jobs admirably despite lacking a great deal of experience.
Albany junior welterweight prospect Amir Imam knock a very game Jared Robinson clear out of the ring in the 4th round of a scheduled ten, forcing the referee to step in and end the fight early. It was the second straight impressive outing for Imam on ShoBox, and the second highlight-reel knockout he has registered on national television. The Young Master looks increasingly like a future star, and perhaps the best thing promoter Don King has going after Santana’s second straight loss.
Robinson deserves credit for his courageous effort; he went right at Imam from the outset despite the youngster’s fearsome knockout ratio. Robinson stood his ground and fought well, but eventually the power and skill of Imam took over. Imam battered Robinson to the body, then hurt him with a combination to the face. A final right sent Robinson tumbling through the ropes, resulting in a nasty fall to the arena floor. Somehow Robinson rose and climbed back into the ring before the end of the count, but the referee saw something in his eyes that made him stop the fight.
Imam fell just short of the 2012 U.S. Olympic team and has knocked out all but one of his opponents. As long as King keeps Imam busy, it’s easy to see him becoming a TV favorite quickly. I wouldn’t mind seeing Robinson again either. Something tells me his effort against Imam will look at lot better as The Young Master scores more knockouts on his way up the ladder.
ESPN’s Friday Night Fights featured the first round of the Boxcino lightweight tournament from Laughlin, Nev. We love the tournament format, and wish more folks in boxing would embrace it. Fans love the certainty of knowing the winners will face other winners, rather than cherry-picking the most convenient opposition. This single-elimination tournament started with four six-round opening bouts on Friday Night, with the semifinals to come on March 28.
We tuned in too late to catch Chris Rudd of Tennessee edge veteran Yakubu Amidu in a tie-breaking seventh round. Rudd’s only loss came via majority decision to William “Action” Jackson in Cinncinnati, Jackson’s backyard. That means Rudd is basically undefeated, and quickly becomes the fighter to watch in this tournament.
Petr Petrov handed Fedor Papazov his first loss in a slugfest between Russian lightweights. Petrov appeared to get the better of a fight where both men landed plenty of clean power shots. It’s hard to see an established veteran like Petrov setting the world afire, but he looks like he could be in entertaining fights. He will take on Rudd in the semis, which should tell us more about Rudd than Petrov.
Miguel Gonzalez won a split decision over Miguel Mendoza in a forgettable bout. Gonzalez is another known quantity, but he has beaten some quality opponents in the past and should prove a challenge for Fernando Carcamo in the semis. Carcamo stopped unbeaten D.C.-based Ghanian Samuel Neequaye in the second round to stake his claim as the tournament’s Cinderella story. Carcamo has five losses, but he is only 23 and has learned on the job while finishing college. His power makes him fun to watch, and has us hoping he makes the finals against Rudd.