Cameron Hammond [14-0-0]

Up-an-coming Aussie welterweight Cameron Hammond find himself world ranked after just under 3 years as a pro and is also next in line to challenge the winner of Sam Eggington v Frankie Gavin for the Commonwealth title. Cameron took the time to discuss with BoxingQnA his progress to date.

You dropped down to welterweight last year to win the WBA Oceania title and have remained at welterweight since. Did you simply come to realise that this weight suited you better for the time being?

My team have always wanted me to move down to welterweight, so that was always our goal. We had our first 8 fights at super welter and then when I fought Pramool Boonpok, we tested the waters and came down halfway between the weight limits. I felt fine, so after that we went to welterweight. I think I'm suited to the weight. Come fight time, I'm back up to about 162 lbs or so.

One thing we've seen since you've been campaigning at welterweight is this current streak of 4 stoppages in a row. Is this simply due to sitting down on your punches more, the weight being better for you, or a bit of both?

Definitely a bit of both. I feel strong at welterweight and my punches are definitely felt more at this weight. I also think I'm starting to convert across to more of a professional style now, which wasn't exactly easy to do at the start after boxing so long as an amateur. But now I'm starting to put guys away with one punch which is exciting. In fact, my last three opponents have been floored by a single shot, so I guess it's getting better.

Your most recent stoppage was against the first southpaw opponent you've had since turning professional. Have you always been comfortable when confronted with those different offensive and defensive angles when boxing a lefty? Was the preparation in the gym leading up to it seamless enough? More movement to the left and throwing more right hands?

I've boxed plenty of southpaws in the amateurs and never had any problems with them at all. Yes, you're correct when you say you need to move to the left and keep away from their power hand, but it's also important not to forget about your own jab when you're boxing a southpaw.

You've already picked up a couple of regional titles, but you're now poised to meet the winner of Sam Eggington v Frankie Gavin for the Commonwealth title once that fight get rescheduled. With the prestige of that title, plus the calibre of either of the two that you end up getting in there with, you must be seeing it as a big opportunity and a chance to make a statement?

Yeah, for sure. Both Eggington and Gavin are really good boxers. I hadn't heard much about Sam Eggington until recently, but I knew Frankie from the amateur days. Both of them are classy but both are also beatable. The Commonwealth belt is also a really prestigious belt and I can't wait to get my hands on it.

Any predictions for when Egginton and Gavin do get it on, or are you just anticipating a great fight?

I probably haven't seen enough of Eggington to make a call on that. I'll tip Gavin only because I've seen more of him, but I really wouldn't know. It should be a good fight though and I look forward to facing the winner.

In addition to being next in line for the Commonwealth title, you are also starting to get recognition from the world sanctioning bodies this year with the WBA currently ranking you at #14. All in all, are you happy with this progress considering you haven't even been a pro for 3 years yet?

Yeah, I'm very happy to be world ranked. I have to thank my team - Ricky Hatton, my promoter, as well as Matt Clark, Brendan Bourke and Philippe Fondu, who are my managers. They've been responsible for all of that. I just concentrate on the fighting (laughs).

There are those salivating at the thought of you eventually meeting Jeff Horn, your old teammate from London 2012 and a friend of yours? Of course, such is the way of boxing's business model, it doesn't makes sense for two up-and-comers to meet each other either until it either makes economic sense for all parties. Is that a fight you see happening further on down the road when the two of you have bigger profiles and more than likely with a title on the line as well?

Me and Jeff are great friends and we've sparred thousands of rounds together. If there was a world title on the line and we could both make good money, I'm sure we'd compete against each other, no problems. Until then though, I just fight whoever my team tells me to. If that fight happens down the line, I'll think about it then. Until then we will keep working together.

It probably goes without saying that you and Jeff Horn must bring a lot out of each other and that both of you benefit a lot from the sessions considering you're at similar stages of your careers and with fairly similar experience to date as well?

Yeah, definitely. Sparring Jeff is always tough. Some days I get the better of him and other days he gets the better of me. Some people have said that it's better than watching most fights! There's not a lot of world class sparring around in Australia, so it's great that we can work together and improve each other.

As an up-and-coming fighter, what would you say are perhaps some of the biggest misconceptions amongst more casual fans when looking at a prospect? Maybe the fact that certain matches can't happen too soon, or maybe underestimating the learning curve that a fighter goes through, especially during the early years?

I definitely think some people don't understand that there's a big difference between the amateurs and the pros. I had a couple of hundred amateur fights and it did take a while to feel comfortable as a professional. In the amateurs the referees save the fighters quickly. In the pros, if you hurt them, you blast them out. I think prospects need time to develop and sometimes boxing fans may overlook that. You also learn heaps by sparring pros. To name some examples, I've sparred Anthony Mundine in the lead up to his Mosley fight. I was Sergey Rabchenko's main sparring partner for the Mundine fight and we boxed loads of rounds up on the Sunshine Coast. For my next fight, I've been sparring with Ryan Waters, who fought Mundine, too.

It's fair to say you've had a variety of opponents put in front of you since turning pro. Some durable guys, a couple of rangey outside fighters, in-fighters, a southpaw as touched on already, plus a couple of guys with winning records that were being built up themselves. Are you happy with the variety of fights you've had so far and do you believe that you've picked up the experience that's been needed up to this point?

I feel like I've done my apprenticeship in the pros and now I'm climbing the ladder. I learned a lot off some durable guys like Joel Dela Cruz. He's only got a 50/50 record but he's tough as nails. Sedat Tasci was a fellow Olympian, so he was definitely a step up in the skills department. Alfredo Blanco was another really tough guy as well. He knew every trick in the book on how to survive. My next fight is against Sahlan Cora, the former Indonesian champion. I think he has a 14-3 record and 8 KOs. He's another good step up. I've seen some footage of him on YouTube. He looks like a tough guy who comes to fight. That fight is on the Mundine v Hatley card on Main Event TV on November 11th.

In terms of the technical side of things, what would you say are perhaps some of the biggest adjustments you have had to make when transitioning from amateur to professional boxing?

Pacing yourself is a big thing. In the amateurs it's like a sprint and it is over before it's really begun. In the pros, you might have to go 10 or 12 rounds and that is a big thing mentally and physically. Sitting down on your punches is one thing, but knowing when to let go of a full blooded shot and when to take some force out of your punches is another big thing, too.

Who is Cameron Hammond outside of boxing?

I'm a pretty relaxed kind of guy. I like playing Xbox and just chilling with friends.

A message to your fans?

Yeah, I just want to say thanks for all the support. It really means a lot. I get messages from all over the world. That's such an amazing thing. It's kind of bizarre that fight fans in the UK can see your fight or know the result and they're wishing you good luck and congratulations and all that. It actually means a lot. I'm hoping to get a lot more followers on Twitter, so give me a shout out if you read this! I'll reply to all fight fans!

Final words?

I'd like to thank my promoter Ricky Hatton. I couldn't ask for a better promoter. When he signed me after the 2012 Olympics, I actually thought it was a joke at first. It blew my mind when I realised it was serious! Also my managers and Mark Grech, my trainer. Give me a follow on twitter on @CHammondBoxing . Finally, thanks to you Dan for taking the time to interview me and help build my profile!