if it's scum v town, I think he'd be better off dueling today as opposed to hammering, because then he'd have to deal with being sussed for hammering a townie tomorrow, making his duel less of a sure thing. It's also possible he could be mates with, say, Yoho, who is experiencing some pressure today, and could be forced into dueling him tomorrow if he waited.
Personally I would put my money on Scum V Scum though. It certainly doesn't feel like town v town.