“What a decision!” says former WBO world featherweight champion Heather “The Heat” Hardy. Indeed, Hardy surprised a lot of people Thursday when she announced a May 11th throwdown between herself and BKFC flyweight champion Christine Ferea. That’s right, Hardy is entering the realm of bare knuckle boxing. “Being a member of the boxing community,” she says, “the two sports don’t often cross paths in the best way. Everyone from the owner of Gleason’s Gym , to my boyfriend and my grandma begged me not to – to think of my health, such a barbaric sport.”
Hardy ended up taking some sound advice from perhaps as close a relation as one could find. “My mother told me to drop my knees in a place of God and He will tell me what to do,” she says, “and within 24 hours I came to realize that boxing has done nothing but open doors and create opportunities for my little family.” Hardy has long been known as one of the more exciting boxers in the business, exuding a blood and guts attitude that would make George Patton nod in approval.
Heather Hardy, a Brooklyn native, is gearing up to step into the bare-knuckle fight ring at Connecticut’s Foxwood’s Casino in May. This will be a new challenge for Hardy as she takes on the undefeated world titlist Christine Ferea, who boasts a record of 13-0. Despite being new to the bare-knuckle fight scene, Hardy exudes confidence, stating, "I’ll enter this fight with Christine representing the discipline of boxing and show that skills pay the bills." The upcoming match between Hardy and Ferea is already creating buzz online for bringing together two highly skilled combat sport professionals.
"I’m grateful to Christine!" exclaims Hardy. "Earlier this year I reached out to her as a fellow champion to explore the possibility of a match. I have college tuition to cover this quarter, so I was seeking an opportunity, and she delivered." Now, Hardy is focused on delivering an impressive performance this spring. Throughout her 28-fight career, Hardy has faced tough competition, including winning the WBO featherweight belt by defeating Shelly Vincent in 2018 and squaring off against fighters like Iranda Torres and the legendary Amanda Serrano.
"There’s only one ‘queen of violence,’" asserts Hardy. "And she’s an 80s baby from Brooklyn."
