His fight against Thai-born Australian Apichat Koedchatturat at the Pullman and Mercure Hotel marked the first time “The Hammer” had thrown a punch in the ring for around one-and-a-half years.

“I was super nervous when I went into the ring for the first half. I knew I was fit and still had the skills, but being out of the ring for so long, I fought cautiously,” Hammond said.

As the Moree product played it defensively for the first round, his opponent grew in confidence.

“I expected him to be a little more aggressive, and I thought I would have to box six rounds against him and try to win the fights on points,” Hammond said.

But a little reassurance from his coach at the end of the first round was all Hammond needed to change his approach.

“He told me I needed to pick it up and throw a lot more punches. So that’s what I did,” Hammond said.

After Hammond landed a successful right hand on Koedchatturate a minute into the second round, the fight quickly turned to his advantage.

“I saw him get stunned and I realised I hurt him,” he said. “That’s when I knew he wasn’t going to take too much more. I just had to keep throwing punches at him.”

The blistering attack left Koedchatturate unable to retaliate and led to a quick technical knockout in same round. 

“That fight definitely helped a lot to get that feeling of confidence back,” Hammond said.

Hammond said he is eager to hit the gym again and prepare for the next fight.

“My body doesn’t feel too sore and I want to get back into it on Wednesday. My coach mentioned he would like me to fight for the Australian title. I would love to have a shot at it. I think I’m ready for an Australian title fight,” Hammond said.