By: Sean Crose
New York City has produced market share of notable boxers, from Gene Tunney to Jake LaMotta, Mike Tyson to Daniel Jacobs. One of the New York boxers that has recently received a lot of attention is Heather Hardy, who will return to the competition this Thursday (October 13) after nearly a year and a half out of the ring. The former WBO featherweight will highlight Larry Goldberg promoting “Beginner Card” at Time Square’s Sony Hall when she faced Calista Silgado in a scheduled six-round lightweight bout. However, Hardy’s ultimate goal is to become world champion again.
Part of what made Hardy so popular was the excitement she brought with her when she joined. The 22-2 boxer is fun to watch in-fight, as watching any number of her fights will attest. Indeed, Hardy was supposed to fight earlier this year against Terri Harper, but a hand injury prevented her from doing so. Now, at 40, Hardy will slide mid-rope on Thursday night after suffering consecutive defeats, to Amanda Serrano in 2019 and Jessica Camara in 2021. Not a boxer called “The Heat.” has declined. Hardy had a serious time as a mixed martial artist for the Bellator organization and simply wasn’t the type to spend long hours outside of the gym.
“I’m so excited,” she said the night before her return. “The camp is amazing.” That might be what most boxers would say, but Hardy is an exceptionally honest man. There’s no fanfare on our call, no cake in the sky that promises stunning kills or world conquest. Simply put, Hardy speaks like a serious professional, someone incapable of trying to fool himself or others. “We wouldn’t be able to really assess that,” she said of the impact time off the ring could have on her. That question, she made clear, will be answered on Thursday night when she faces Silgado 20-15-3.
Hardy, truth be told, is an individual who looks at the big picture. For example, she knows that her popularity extends far beyond her New York background. “Everybody cheered for me,” she said, “(because) I was like an unlikely hero.” Which is certainly true. This is someone who didn’t fight professionally until she was thirty, after all. It’s hard to succeed as a boxer with such a late start, and even harder to succeed as a boxer when one is a woman. However, Hardy managed to defy the odds. However, she doesn’t consider herself a breakout icon. “Women’s boxing is still in its infancy,” she said thoughtfully. “We’re talking about baby steps.” However, Hardy has to admit to being happy with the compliments she’s received. “It means a lot to me when people see me that way,” she said of those who see her as a pioneer.
Pioneer or not, Hardy is an individual who is clearly setting his own path.
*Full disclosure – Boxing insiderwhere this article was published, is a promotional outlet behind the Thursday New beginnings Card.
