Heather Hardy’s hard-fought victory over Shelly Vincent in 2018 allowed her to do much more than just preserve her then-undefeated record. After years of working diligently on her craft, the battle-tested veteran removed the term contender from her bio and officially replaced it with the word champion.
But while the Brooklyn native envisioned a long and dominant reign, back-to-back losses at the hands of Amanda Serrano and Jessica Camara seemed to signal the end of her once blossoming career.
Unwilling to simply ride off into the retirement sunset with consecutive losses saddled to her record, Hardy (24-2, 4 KOs) would take some well-needed time off before returning to the ring, and more importantly, the win column. Most recently, the former WBO featherweight champion headlined a BoxingInsider.com promoted card in New York’s Sony Hall, outpointing Taynna Cardoso in a back-and-forth brawl.
At the age of 41, Hardy stood tall in the ring, waving to her adoring fans who plunked down their hard-earned cash to watch her compete. Although walking away on a euphoric high is an appealing scenario, Hardy is hoping that she displayed enough skills, grit, and determination to lure one of the present-day titleholders into the ring.
Nevertheless, regardless of whether or not she secures a championship bout in his next outing, Hardy urges both her supporters and naysayers to refrain from writing her career’s epitaph. Although the light at the end of her pugilistic tunnel is closer than ever, from Hardy’s point of view, the mere thought of walking away is a ludicrous one.
“Hell no,” said Hardy to BoxingScene.com when asked if she’ll hang up her gloves after one final title shot. “I still want to fight. When I don’t want to do it anymore, I won’t do it anymore. That’s how I live my life. I still want to fight so I’m going to fight.”
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