By Francisco Salazar

It was going so well for Thomas Dulorme over two years ago. He was unbeaten after 16 fights and was considered one of boxing’s highly-touted prospects.

Then he ran into the fists of Luis Carlos Abregu.

Dulorme suffered the first loss of his pro career at the hands of Abregu on the night of October 27, 2012. Since then, Dulorme has had a different outlook on boxing, which has brought a new-found confidence and success.

A strong adversary he is facing in his next fight could disrupt what he has accomplished and the goals he has set for his future.

Dulorme will fight Hank Lundy in a 10 round junior welterweight bout at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Saturday night. The bout will open the HBO “Boxing After Dark” telecast, which begins at 10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT.

Since the loss to Abregu, Dulorme has won his last five bouts in a row. In his last bout on March 29, Dulorme won a 10 round unanimous over Karim Mayfield in Atlantic City, N.J.

It was the first fight Dulorme worked with trainer Robert Garcia. Dulorme traveled to Oxnard, Calif. about a year ago and began working with the famed trainer. The amount of time Dulorme has had training in Oxnard with Garcia, coupled with working alongside the likes of Marcos Maidana, Brandon Rios, and Miguel “Mikey” Garcia has given Dulorme a renewed confidence.

“Robert has taught me a lot,” Dulorme told krikya360.com after a recent workout in Oxnard. “I’ve gained a lot of confidence (training) here to carry it over into the ring. I have sparred with (Marcos) Maidana, Brandon Rios, (Miguel) Mikey Garcia, and other great fighters, including Felix Diaz, who’s a Gold Medalist from the Dominican Republic. I’ve learned so much. And it’s raised my confidence level to where it is now.”

Garcia agrees.

“Thomas is dedicated, works hard, and is very motivated. He knows his weight division has great fighters and he understands the importance to win. If he looks impressive, big things are in store for him.”

While Dulorme is a talented fighter, some might forget Dulorme was 22 years old when he fought the hard-hitting Abregu. Dulorme was outboxing Abregu during the first two rounds before getting dropped by Abregu in the third round.

As the bout progressed, the punches began taking their toll on Dulorme. As each round passed, Dulorme slowed down considerably from the effect of the punches. The fight ended in the seventh round when Dulorme dropped again to the canvas, prompting his corner to throw in the towel.

There are those that say fighters learn more in defeat than they do if they are on a winning streak. That may be the case, but the loss to Abregu humbled Dulorme as well.

“That loss taught me a lot. In boxing, you cannot be overconfident. You cannot underestimate someone (your opponent). You have to finish your opponent when you can and have to fight intelligently until the final bell.”

Dulorme will have a difficult challenge on Saturday night, when he takes on Hank Lundy. The outspoken fighter from Philadelphia has won his last three bouts in a row. Whether against a contender or an unbeaten prospect on the rise, Lundy has the experience of beating fighters on the big stage.

Lundy seems to fight better against better opposition, which could make the fight against Dulorme that much difficult to pick amongst boxing experts and fans.

While Dulorme may not say he is overconfident, he does have the chip on his shoulder, maybe due to the pedigree of sparring he has received and the work he has done with Robert Garcia.

“He (Lundy) is a good fighter. But I don’t think he’s at the same level as I am.”

A win over Lundy could move Dulorme into contender status. With a deep pool of fighters at 140 pounds, Dulorme could see high-profile bouts come his way in 2015.

“I believe that another two or three fights at 140 pounds will be great for me in 2015. Maybe there are opportunities later on down the line at 147 pounds. I will be ready. I’m a big, strong fighter who can (eventually) dominate any of the divisions.”

Dulorme still has a lot of work to do to improve as a fighter, physically and psychologically. A win on Saturday would certainly boost his stock as one to keep an eye on in 2015.

The book is still out on whether Dulorme can indeed get over the hump of being defined by one fight: his knockout loss to Abregu. Dulorme says he is not the same fighter from over two years ago and wants to prove he can overcome mistakes, move on, and still achieve the goal of winning a world title.

“In the last two years, I have worked very hard in the gym so that 2014 would come out well for me. I changed trainers and managers. I have a new team so that my career would be able to go to the top. We are achieving that. We have a big fight this coming Saturday on HBO and I’m very happy of all that has happened in the last two years.”

“Great things are happening.”

Francisco A. Salazar has written for krikya360.com since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Salazar also covers boxing for the Ventura County (CA) Star newspaper, RingTV, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing