(MAR 23) On Friday night at the
Aviator Sports Complex, Brooklyn, New York, and presented by
DiBella Entertainment, Heather "The Heat"
Hardy, 121, of Brooklyn, NY, did indeed "Turn up the Heat" when
she fought and won an eight-round bout by a unanimous decision
over Nydia Feliciano, 119. The final judges scores were 79-73,
78-74, and 78-74. Hardy remains undefeated with a 9-0-0
(2KO), and Feliciano, 7-5-3.
In the very beginning, just for a moment, I wondered
after seeing Hardy and Feliciano go to battle....Is Nydia gonna
be the one to serve Heather her first loss?
The crowd began to chant "Hardy, Hardy." .....Then all of a sudden,
Hardy dug down deep and like having a super burst of energy, she
began to move quickly with fast combinations, and she definitely
turned up the heat.
Hardy and Feliciano both
displayed how they were very tough in the ring, and the fight
was an action-packed toe-to-toe contest, and was one of the best
fights of the night.
After the fight, WBAN spoke
with Hardy who said, "I went into the fight with the
utmost respect for Nydia. I used to watch her sparring at
Gleasons, and looked up to her as a pro when I was just coming
up as an amateur. Her coach is a personal friend and one of the
best female boxing coaches around, so we knew this was going to
be tough, knew this was going to be tough, but my team was up
for the challenge. We stepped up our game and our hard work paid
off. It was a tremendous win for my team, because I know damn
well I couldn't have done it without their dedication and
support. They believed in me."
The [Cindy and Amanda] Serrano team told WBAN, "We
bought the fight on gofightlive and watched it. We were so
surprised on how Heather has improved. It was a totally
different Heather in there this night, who in most fights is
always right in front of her opponent going toe to toe. Great
fight for women's boxing. The fight was very action-packed, and
even we as fighters were at the edge of our seats! Hats off to
Nydia for taking this fight, and Heather is the future of the
sport---reminds us as a female Arturo Gatti."
Broadway
Boxing wrote the following about the bout:
"Fighting before a strong
contingent of hometown fans, Brooklyn fan favorite Heather Hardy
and the Bronx's Nydia Feliciano went to war in their eight-round
female junior featherweight feature bout. Feliciano was easily
the toughest opponent of Hardy's young career, having already
fought for a world title in 2012. Round after round, Hardy and
Feliciano furiously brawled, bringing the crowd to a standing
ovation on a number of occasions. Hardy was the aggressor and
pressed the action for the majority of the bout, and in the end,
she was awarded the well-deserved unanimous decision, winning by
scores of 79-73, and 78-74 twice. It was the most impressive
victory to date for Hardy, who improved to a perfect 9-0,
2KO's."
On a side
note....It was a special night for Heather Hardy---it
was her father's birthday this night and Hardy dedicated this
fight as a gift for her dad's birthday.
Lastly, "I would like to give my condolences
to Lou Dibella, on his loss of his 90-year-old father. The fans
missed him at the fights last night.
