By Ryan Maquiñana

Rising lightweight contender “Hammerin’ ” Hank Lundy (22-1-1, 11 KOs) reflected on his latest triumph last Friday, a nationally televised unanimous decision over Dannie Williams (21-2, 17 KOs).

“At the end of the day, he just didn’t face the level of competition I have,” Lundy told BoxingScene.com.  “I was battle-tested, and he wasn’t ready for me.”

Following a shaky first round where Williams floored Lundy with a left hook, the Philadelphia native regrouped, displaying the same resiliency that willed him to stop David Diaz last year after hitting the canvas.

“[Williams] caught me with a shot, but I got up right away,” Lundy said.  “I wasn’t hurt.  I just stayed focused on my corner’s gameplan.”

The strategy entailed switching from southpaw to the orthodox stance and utilizing a lance of a left jab to halt any type of offensive momentum Williams had planned on riding for the final nine frames of the fight.

“I wasn’t really surprised that he couldn’t adjust to my jab,” Lundy said.  “We saw it in the film that he was really committed to that front foot when he loaded up on his power shots, and I just took advantage of that by outboxing him all over the ring.”

Now the question becomes what awaits the 135-pounder next.  Lundy already revealed plans for his next bout.

“I’m going to take this week off and then head back to the gym,” he said.  “I’ve been told that I’m going to come back in July for a tune-up.”

He might want to reconsider his options.  With Jorge Linares now likely out of the running for a rematch with his conqueror, current WBC lightweight boss Antonio DeMarco, the door might be open for Lundy to secure his first shot at a world title.

“I will take the (DeMarco) fight if it was tomorrow, but I hope I get it,” said Lundy, ranked fourth in the WBC rankings.

Ryan Maquiñana writes a weekly column for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area (CSNBayArea.com). He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and Ring Magazine’s Ratings Panel. E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com, check out his blog at norcalboxing.net or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.

Tags: Hank Lundy , Antonio DeMarco