The Cat Came Back: John Molina Jr. Stops Hank Lundy

by David P. Greisman live from ringside

LINCOLN, R.I. – It started as a cat-and-mouse affair in which, for once, it was the mouse toying with the cat. It became a cat-and mouse-affair in which one giant swat from the cat left the mouse scurrying for survival.

In the confines of the ring, there was nowhere for this mouse to hide. Try as he might, Hank Lundy couldn’t stay away from John Molina Jr., nor could he stay away from the inevitable. Molina caught up to Lundy and stopped him in the 11th round, the referee jumping in and giving Molina the technical-knockout victory in a lightweight bout.

It didn’t always look like the fight would end this way.

Lundy’s speed gave Molina fits over the first four rounds. Molina is a plodding pressure fighter who can only throw when his feet are planted. Lundy, a southpaw, landed left hands at will through Molina’s gloves, never giving him time to think, never giving him time to throw.

Molina became hesitant. When the only way you can block shots is with your head, you don’t wanting to leave yourself even wider open than you normally are. Lundy, whose nickname is “Hammerin’ Hank,” was chipping away at Molina’s will.

And then everything changed.

Lundy appeared to take the fifth round off, giving Molina the freedom to punch, giving Molina his confidence back. Lundy also switched to an orthodox stance, giving Molina a more conventional target in front of him.

Molina hit Lundy with a few solid shots. Lundy went back to southpaw. It didn’t make much of a difference.

Lundy’s strategy had become one of not letting Molina hit him. He was doing enough to stay away, but not enough to keep Molina from coming forward.

Just past the halfway point of Round 8, Lundy was ducking down in front of Molina, flicking out a jab and other punches with little steam behind them. Lundy sent out a left hand. Molina countered with a right, sending Lundy crumping to the canvas. Lundy got up on unsteady legs and spent the rest of the round in retreat.

Molina was emboldened. Lundy was merely moving away when he could. Now, when Molina got Lundy on the ropes, Lundy remained there. Now, when Lundy remained on the ropes, Molina could punch away.

Now it was Lundy who didn’t want to throw for fear of being hit – a reversal of how the fight had been in the first four rounds.

Molina landed three consecutive left hands in Round 11, forcing Lundy to hold on to the ropes with his right hand. The referee pulled Lundy away to give him a warning, but also unintentionally giving him a respite.

No matter.

Molina got Lundy back on the ropes and fired away with heavy shots. Lundy was not badly hurt, but he wasn’t throwing back either. The referee stepped in for what seemed like an early stoppage. But Lundy could have no one to blame for himself.

The time of the stoppage was 2 minutes and 17 seconds into the round.

With that, the Philadelphian suffered his first professional defeat, falling to 18-1-1 with 10 knockouts. Molina, of Covina, Calif., improves to 21-1 with 17 knockouts.

In the televised co-feature, super middleweights Vladine Biosse and Joey McCreedy threw down for local bragging rights, with Biosse, a former University of Rhode Island football player, taking the unanimous decision over the Lowell, Mass.-based McCreedy.

McCreedy, a slower bruiser, used the early rounds to try to bull the speedier boxer Biosse into the ropes. Biosse attempted to work off a southpaw jab to keep McCreedy away. Interestingly, both did their best work in those early rounds in what wouldn’t generally be their comfort zones – McCreedy sending hard right hands as a counter to Biosse’s lazy jabs, Biosse throwing uppercuts, body shots and flurries in close.

Biosse’s resistance wore McCreedy down – McCreedy was facing a foe who would not be intimidated. McCreedy began to hold on the inside, recognizing that not only could he not beat Biosse up there, but that he was getting beaten there himself. McCreedy generally only worked in between Biosse’s flurries, occasionally gambling and succeeding with hard right hand counters. Biosse continued to go to McCreedy’s body, taking even more wind out of his sails. And when McCreedy did get Biosse to the ropes, Biosse spun away and went back to work.

That work got Biosse seven of eight rounds on two of the three judges’ scorecards – 79-73 tallies – while the third judge saw the bout 78-74 in his favor.

Biosse improves to 7-0 (4 knockouts). McCreedy falls to 11-5-2 (6 knockouts).

FROM THE NON-TELEVISED UNDERCARD:

- Diego Pereira took a hard-won unanimous decision over Ricardo Calazada in a four-round over-the-limit junior-welterweight bout.

Pereira had the advantages in foot speed, hand speed and skills, but Calazada was stubborn and kept coming forward, making Pereira work for the win.

There were the moments when Pereira would land a clean shot that would stop Calazada in his tracks. Calazada would “oooh” at the same time as the audience, put his gloves back up and keep going.

There were also the moments in which Calazada would foul Pereira – elbows, low blows, and head butts that coincided with him planting his head on Pereira’s chest. Pereira wisely capitalized on Calazada’s aggression, digging down and coming up with uppercut after uppercut.

The scorecards were 40-36 (twice) and 39-37. Pereira, who was fighting in his hometown of Lincoln, R.I., remains undefeated at 5-0 (2 KOs). Calazada, who hails from Las Vegas, falls to 2-2 (1 KO).