Christian Hammer could have done so many other things during the year-end holiday season in the greater Miami area. (photo by Ryan Hafey)
Rather than taking in sunshine by day and the vibrant party scene by night, he agreed to a last-minute fight against a fast-rising heavyweight.
Germany’s Hammer (26-8, 16KOs) was in the right place at the right time when Frank Sanchez (19-0, 13KOs) was suddenly in need of an opponent for this weekend’s Pay-Per-View event at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Puerto Rico’s Carlos Negron (25-3, 20KOs) tested positive for Covid, the result learned on Tuesday.
Hammer was in town to support stablemates Ali Eren Demirezen (14-1, 11KOs) and Victor Faust (8-0, 6KOs) and had already accepted a role as stand-by opponent. When the call came to advance to the main card, there wasn’t a moment of hesitation in agreeing to the fight.
“I was with my team here to support them. I had a great training camp with them and was ready to fight, even without an opponent,” Hammer insisted during the final pre-fight press conference for Saturday’s five-fight all-heavyweight PPV event, distributed by Fox Sports and Fite TV. “They offered me this fight, I was already here and said, ‘Why not?’”
Hammer enters the fight under odd circumstances, beyond his accepting it on just four days’ notice.
The veteran trialhorse is coming off an injury stoppage loss to Hughie Fury this past October, suffering a torn biceps in having to bow out after five rounds. The wound apparently healed in time for the 34-year-old to agree to return this weekend on short notice versus a budding prospect in Sanchez, who is coming off a career-best ten-round decision win over Efe Ajagba in their battle of unbeaten heavyweights October 9 in Las Vegas.
“I am a good fighter and always ready to take on anyone,” insists Hammer. “I have faced a lot of good opponents in my career which has helped me prepare for moments like this when I have to be ready to fight.
“This is my job and I will do my job to the best of my ability on Saturday night.”
Hammer is one of three EC Boxing-promoted fighters who appear on Saturday’s PPV card. Faust faces Iago Kiladze (27-5-1, 19KOs) in a scheduled eight-round bout to open the telecast, while Demirezen meets former title challenger Gerald Washington (20-4-1, 13KOs) in a ten-round contest.
Headlining the show, former title challenger and current top-rated contender Luis Ortiz (32-2, 27KOs) collides with former IBF heavyweight titlist Charles Martin (28-2-1, 25KOs) in a scheduled 12-round title eliminator.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox