Geelong’s Hammer to come down on boxers at Colac

Alex de Vos
Watch out Colac when Geelong boxer Rory Hayes makes his debut in the ring tomorrow night.
Torquay Coastal Boxing trainer Ashley Lynch can painfully testify to the punching power of the 22-year-old “tough guy” nicknamed The Hammer.
Mr Lynch suffered a broken sternum while sparring with the powerhouse heavyweight.
“I was showing him one of the targets and he got me – he did a fair bit of damage,” Mr Lynch said.
“I weigh 100kg and if they can get through me then they’ve got a good chance.”
Mr Lynch said the bags at his boxing gym were also taking a pounding.
“He’s a strong fighter and makes this large, smacking noise when he hits the bag – that’s why we call him The Hammer.”
Mr Lynch said he was confident Hayes would make an impression among Victorian fighters.
“He’s come a long way in a short amount of time and he’s definitely ready for his first fight.” Middleweight Henry Croft will be another of Mr Lynch’s proteges at Colac.
Mr Lynch described the 26-year-old from Torquay as “unstoppable”.
“He can throw non-stop punches for two-to-three-minute rounds without a break. He’s a lot like Jeff Fenech – he just keeps coming in.”
The Victorian Amateur Boxing League fight night will feature 15 events between boxers from Torquay, Grovedale, Belmont, Geelong and Melbourne.