Hank Lundy battles Avery Sparrow in all-Philly showdown on Friday – LIVE on DAZN

By Boxing News - 03/15/2019 - Comments

Image: Hank Lundy battles Avery Sparrow in all-Philly showdown on Friday - LIVE on DAZN

Hank Lundy (29-7-1, 14 KOs) returns to his hometown of Philadelphia on Friday, March 15th at the Liacouras Center in all-Philly showdown against 25-year-old up-and-comer Avery Sparrow (9-1, 3 KOs), a crossroads fight for both sides – WATCH THE FIGHT LIVE on DAZN

A former NABF and NABO champion and world-title challenger, the 35-year-old Lundy fights in Philadelphia for the third time since 2017, having previously won back-to-back fights at the famed 2300 Arena before challenging unbeaten Russian Zaur Abdullaev for the WBC Silver Lightweight Title in September.

Now Lundy faces the 5-foot-7 Sparrow, a fighter co-promoter Russell Peltz refers to as a Philadelphia throwback for his willingness to step the plate and face the best the sport has to offer. The combined record of Sparrow’s last five opponents is a staggering 58-8-3, including his second-round knockout win over 24-fight vet Jesus Serrano last March, a fight later ruled a no-contest when Sparrow tested positive for marijuana.

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The showdown against Serrano came off the heels of a huge upset win over the highly-touted Jose Lopez on ESPN in November of 2017, a fight Sparrow agreed to on just nine days’ notice, earning him a spot at No. 14 in the WBO world super featherweight rankings. The suspension has derailed Sparrow’s progress, but a win over Lundy puts him back in the conversion among the top fighters in his weight class, even as he agrees to come up in weight to face a dangerous adversary such as Lundy, who is also no stranger to unseating opponents as the supposed underdog.

In back-to-back fights in 2013 and 2014, Lundy dominated 31-1 Ajose Olusegun and 14-1 prospect Angelo Santana, the latter on Showtime. Some of his toughest fights — his super lightweight battle with Viktor Postol, his WBO 140-pound world championship showdown against Terence Crawford, or his slugfest with Mauricio Herrera in 2015 — have been outside of his hometown, so stepping back into the ring in Philadelphia is a refreshing change of course for the road-weary Lundy.

The all-Philly showdown between Lundy and Sparrow is part of a stacked fight card promoted by Matchroom Boxing, DiBella Entertainment and Peltz Boxing Promotions. Philadelphia super featherweight and reigning IBF world champion Tevin Farmer defends his title against unbeaten Jono Carroll and reigning IBF and WBA World Female Lightweight Champion Katie Taylor faces WBO title-holder Rose Volante in a battle of unbeatens. The event streams live on DAZN. Subscriptions are available for $9.99 per month and can be purchased by visiting https://watch.dazn.com. DAZN is available on all smart TVs, connected devices, tablets and mobile phones, and computer or game consoles.

Image: Hank Lundy battles Avery Sparrow in all-Philly showdown on Friday - LIVE on DAZN

Image: Hank Lundy battles Avery Sparrow in all-Philly showdown on Friday - LIVE on DAZN

Image: Hank Lundy battles Avery Sparrow in all-Philly showdown on Friday - LIVE on DAZN