Heather “The Heat” Hardy Remains Undefeated with Hard Fought Victory at Barclays Center

By Chris “Man of Few Words” Benedict

Photo: Chris “Man of Few Words” Benedict & Heather “The Heat” Hardy

Heather Hardy has a focus that is intense and admirable. Grounded in the present moment, she wisely refuses to gaze too far into the future (leaving that-professionally anyway-to her promoter Lou DiBella) while maintaining a healthy respect for the past and where it has gotten her without the need to look constantly over her shoulder.

That said, while Heather gears up for what promises to be an exciting 2016, she first closed out the last half of this year by taking care of some unfinished business. Back in August, Hardy thoroughly dominated Renata Domsodi with whom she had previously engaged in a frustrating no contest, turning the face of “The Hungarian Assassin” into an impressionist painting in the process of earning a 6th round TKO when Domsodi could not answer the bell.

Florida’s Noemi “NoNo” Bosques came into last night with a 10-3, 2KO’s record and her next fight (on April 16, 2016 against Michelle Preston in Auckland, New Zealand) already inked. Which in no way suggests that Noemi was looking past Hardy who had already beaten her in May though the defeat came by way of a controversial split decision which raised eyebrows and ruffled a good amount of feathers. It obviously got under the normally thick skin of Hardy and festered there to the point where Bosques became an irritating itch that Heather could no longer resist the urge to scratch.

Both women came rushing out of the gate and it was evident that Hardy would not have to go further than arm’s length to find Bosques who paid the price for her aggression by walking face first repeatedly into Heather’s left jab and potent combinations thrown from angles difficult to protect against. Bosques tagged Hardy with two hard rights in the second but could not hold the advantage due in great part to Heather’s immaculate footwork and head movement. There one moment, gone the next, Hardy made a difficult target for Noemi to home in on. In addition, Heather began to work Noemi’s body in the third while keeping the left jab active.

Perhaps tiring from an exhaustive effort, Hardy began to lower her guard and was stung by Bosques with a stiff left jab and a series of right hands before loading up with a right of her own and another explosive one-two punch. Looking for an opportunity with the right uppercut which just wasn’t there, Hardy continued to dig to the body, throw quick combinations, and forced Bosques to eat a succession of three hard lefts in the seventh round.

Heather closed the show with a thunderous combination which had Noemi’s head rocking violently and instantaneously from shoulder to shoulder and leaving no room for discussion or debate among the ringside judges this time around, all of whom decided unanimously in Hardy’s favor.

Still undefeated at 15-0, 3 KO’s, Heather weighed in at 127.2 on Friday, 5 pounds over the super-bantamweight limit which might hint at a potential move up the scales and pursuing a world title shot at featherweight, that belt being currently worn by Lucas Mathysse’s sister Edith.

One aspect of Heather’s future is in no doubt. She will be recognized as Female Fighter of the Year at the Ring 8 Veteran Boxers Association of New York award presentations on December 13th at Russo’s on the Bay in Howard Beach. Congratulations on this well-deserved distinction.

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