That last time Heather “The Heat” Hardy competed at Barclays Center, the fight didn’t end with the usual celebration when an accidental head butt led to a no contest, so the Gerritsen Beach native was glad to get back to her usual routine a little more than a month later, lifted up around the boxing ring in jubilation.
“I wanted to be carried around that ring so bad last time,” Hardy said. “I had to wait this whole time for that.”
Hardy got her wish after she remained undefeated with a split-decision victory, 77–75, 75–77, 79–73, over St. Petersburg, Fla., fighter Noemi Bosques in a featherweight bout at Barclays Center last Friday night.
The eight-round bout was part of the Premier Boxing Champions undercard headlined by the Amir Khan-Chris Algieri battle. Hardy didn’t believe her fight was as close as the judges saw it. She gave Bosques just the first and third rounds, but was pleased with another victory.
The bout was considered a big jump up in competition for Hardy. Bosques is the No. 3 ranked bantamweight in the country. She came up a weight class to fight her.
“I really, really wanted someone where we could showcase what women’s boxing was about on a stage like this,” Hardy said.
After a strong start, Bosques gained some confidence in the third and fourth rounds. Hardy said she was overanxious for a knockout and standing in front of Bosques too much. That allowed her opponent to land some big punches and impress the judges. Hardy quickly adjusted and controlled the fight the rest of the way. Her jab was effective for most of the bout.
“My coaches were trying to tell me to step back and then step in with quick combinations,” Hardy said.
She did just that especially well in a strong fifth round. Hardy landed two hard right-left combinations and was getting her head out of the way of Bosques’ big shots. She also focused more on body blows in the later rounds. The strategy slowly wore Bosques down. It left her grabbing Hardy often to slow the fight down.
“She actually saw and made the slips at the appropriate times,” Hardy’s trainer Devon Cormack said. “Before she was basically thinking to go in and hit.”
Hardy’s adjustment got her back in the win column and back to her usual position on the shoulders of supporters being carried around the ring.
“I’m so happy right now,” Hardy said. “I don’t even know if I’m answering the questions right.”
Her victory was part of a big night for Brooklyn fighters. Featherweight Chris Colbert earned a technical knockout victory against Marquis Pierce in his pro debut. Wesley Ferrer bested Jose Miguel Castro by majority decision, 58–54, 57–55, 56–56 in a lightweight fight. Adam Kownacki won a, 79–73, 79–73, 80–72, unanimous decision over Ytalo Perea in a heavyweight bout.
